The Eternal Maiden
by Pheo the Flame
Summary: On her fifteenth birthday, Gray finds that she now carries a curse much like the one in DN Angel. When the four main characters show up at her house... read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

The Eternal Maiden

A quick note to you, the person reading this. I posted this on fanfiction only because no site would accept it as the truth. They are all wrong. So wrong… It's funny how people only accept what they know. I think that people need to learn the truth. They need to realize there is more, more to life, and more to death, than they could even begin to imagine. Above all, remember, this is only the truth, only ever the truth, for I am, The Eternal Maiden.

-Gray

AN: I suppose I have to say it. I don't own DN Angel. Or Orianthi, for that matter. But I do happen to own Gray, Jean, and Gray's parents. So there.

The clock chimed midnight, and I made a wish, just before giving into sleep. I was now officially fifteen, and would be going to my first Drivers Ed class tomorrow. Or so I thought.

"Gray? Gray, it's mom." A gentle shaking woke me.

"Wha time izit?" I looked over at my alarm clock. It was barely six in the morning! "Mom!"

"I know sweetie-"

"Don't call me that…"

"Sorry, but your father and I are going away for a business trip."

"How long?" I was awake now. When my parents left, I had full control of the house. Not that I did much anyway, but it was still nice to have sometime by yourself.

"About a month swe- Gray." My mom sounded sad. "You know the rules."

"I know, I know."

My mom went over them anyways. "No boys over, no parties, no prank calls to foreign countries-"

"I only did that once!"

"And no wasting your time on YouTube watching DN Angel!" Mom continued ad if she hadn't heard me.

I'd never understood why she didn't approve of that show, but that was the only rule I planned to break. I was only a few episodes away from the end. I had completely forgotten my wish, but it was already coming true.

"Oh! One more thing." Mom could be so absent-minded. "Happy birthday Gray." She gave me an envelope and a small package, and then walked out of the room.

"Thanks mom!" I yelled after her "Tell dad I'll miss him!"

"I will! Bye Gray!"

I was about to open the envelope when I saw writing on the back. _Open the package first._ My dad's scribbly handwriting was unmistakable. I slowly opened it, to reveal a box, wooden, with a copper clasp and hinges, both of which were green with age. The clasp opened with a satisfying "Click." The inside was lined in beautiful gray velvet, and there was another note. The outside read: _Read me. Don't look any further in the box. _That was my mom for you. Very elegant handwriting, very specific. I looked at my ceiling, took the note, and closed the box before looking back down. I had always been a superstitious person. I opened the note. This is what it said:

_Happy birthday Gray! Your father and I have decided to relent, and enclosed in the envelope is a check. Your hair is your hair after all. Read the card carefully. _

_Love you_

_Mom and Dad_

_P.S. Look at the foot of your bed._

I decided I would do that later, and gave myself a moment to celebrate my victory over my parents. I had wanted to try a different hairstyle for months, but my parents had been reluctant, mainly because it involved me getting highlights. They always think my hair looks better natural. I finally opened the envelope. I pulled out the card, and saw that my dad, the artist that he was, had hand drawn it. The front depicted me as a gray winged angel. My recurring dream! I wondered briefly how dad had known, then opened the card. A check slipped out, but I ignored it for the time being.

_Gray. We love you, and hope that this isn't too shocking. It is your fifteenth birthday, and I do know that you have watched that anime, even though I have forbidden it. You are like me in that sense. A rebel. The characters in DN Angel are real. Don't laugh._

I wondered through a fit of giggles how she had known I would burst out laughing, but then continued reading.

_Since you know about the show, I suppose that I can use it to explain what I'm talking about. Krad and Dark begin to appear after their tamers reach age 14. You are a bit different. For starters, this isn't always in this family. On your fifteenth birthday, you will become the Eternal Maiden. She is a bit like a mixture of Dark and Krad, like a female kokuyoku. You are not an angels tamer, you are an angel. I'm getting sidetracked though. This is what you must do. Take the second hand off of your alarm clock. _

"The Second Hand of Time." I muttered, smiling. I sat up and took my alarm clock off of my bedside table. It didn't have a cover, and the second hand, abnormally thick, came off easily. Attached to the back was a small feather, hewn from what I guessed was hematite.

_This is a hematite feather that Dark's last tamer gave him as a protection against… against me. Ask Dark to tell you about me, he'll know what you're talking about. Open the box, and then keep reading._

I did as the letter instructed, and inside the box, resting on a pillow of gray velvet, was a beautiful silver necklace. Fastened to individual links were four feathers.

_These four feathers represent four angels, I'm sure you know who I am talking about. Place your feather between darkness and light, for you are the one who can tame Krad, you are the one who can calm Dark, if you want to do either. Your destiny awaits. Happy birthday Gray. _

_Mom and Dad_

I snorted. If mom thought I would believe this, she was crazy. Of course, dad signed it too, but she might not have shown him what she had written. I looked closer at the feathers. From what I knew of stones, the one that represented Dark's was obsidian, so black it had hints of blue and purple, Krad's was a pure snowy marble, Daisuke's was an insanely thin cut ruby and Satoshi's was blue topaz. I slowly and reverently placed my hematite feather between the marble and obsidian, at the point of the necklace. There was a bright flash of light, like a flashbulb, and the feather was connected to the necklace. I wondered briefly how that had happened, then thought sarcastically, 'Since there are angels, it was probably magic.' Then I grabbed one of fifteen identical outfits from my walk-in closet, a black tank top and black cargo pants. I clasped the necklace around my neck, and then went to get dressed, tripping on something at the foot of my bed as I did so. Swearing under my breath, I looked over my shoulder at whatever was now resting at my feet. "Whoa! Cool!" My parents had bought me two new pairs of black leather, silver buckled combat boots.

13 minutes later, I sat at the kitchen table, where my parents and I ate when there were no guests. Sitting in front of me were two pieces of toast, and my cell phone. I had just finished talking to the barbershop a few blocks away, and would be biking over for a 10:00 appointment. It was around 9:30 when I finished breakfast, so I brushed my teeth quickly and set off, planning to cruise a little. When I finally arrived, the receptionist, whose name was Jean, and who had been a friend of my parents, and therefore a friend of mine, since I could remember, greeted me.

"Hello Gray! How've you been?" she asked me

"Good, and you?" I replied

"Well enough, what with college. Now let's go get your hair fixed up." "You're doing my hair?"

"Everyone else is busy, and I've had the most experience with dyes." It was true. Jean's hair color changed every few weeks. At the moment, it was a mousy brown, with bubblegum pink highlights. "So let me get this straight. You want thick black lo-lights, gold highlights _through_ those, and gray ends?"

"Yeah. The highlights and lo-lights are just on the first layer though."

"Alright, follow me." Jean led me to a chair toward the back of the shop, and went to go get the dyes.

An hour and a half later, I stepped back out into the sun, blinking a few times as my eyes adjusted. My bike was right where I had left it, chained to a tree a few feet away from the door. As I unlocked it, my phone started to vibrate. It was my dad. "Hey dad." I said, picking up.

"Hi Gray! How are you?"

"I'm fine. Tell mom I like the necklace."

"I will. Do the boots fit okay?"

"Yeah, I'm wearing a pair right now."

"Oh good. Well, your mom and I are just about to go through security, so I thought I'd call you quickly. Is there anything else new?"

"I just got my hair done. It looks great, thank you a million times over for the check."

"You're welcome, it was the least we could do. I've got to go now; there are only a few people in front of us. Bye!"

"Bye dad." I smiled and then hung up. As I biked back to the mansion, I decided to go and play a small rooftop concert for the teens in the neighborhood. Well, most of them. I put my bike in the smaller garage outside the house, and ran to my room. I didn't register the half-eaten food on the table, or the shoes by the door for that matter, until I was upstairs. Then I just shrugged it off. The DN Angel characters were _not _real, and I now had proof that my mom was slightly insane. I grabbed my silver guitar, a microphone, and an amp, and ran up to roof.

The roof was a huge, flat, open, expanse of asphalt. It wasn't exactly comfy, but good enough for a concert. I plugged my guitar and microphone into the amp, and started to play "Highly Strung" by Orianthi. I felt my fingers loosening up, and started to play faster and faster, then slowed down as I came to the end. I shrugged off my guitar, and looked at the strap, wondering if the shoulder pad had fallen off. It hadn't, and my back still hurt like mad. I suddenly had trouble breathing, and I shakily put my guitar down, so if I fell, it would remain intact. What was happening? I didn't have asthma, so it wasn't an asthma attack, but it sure felt like it. The last thing I remember saying before I passed out was, "Oww…"

AN: I'm sorry it took me so long to start posting! Please forgive me! I promise I will be working on getting a new chapter up each week. Please R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. *Sob* or YouTube. Or fanfiction, so… I think that's everything.

Warning: I don't know how good this chapter is compared to the last one, and Krad is really out of character in some scenes, but I'll try to keep him in character around the boys.

"Is she okay?"

"Hmm, she's unconscious and barely breathing. What do you think? _Baka_."

"Krad, be nice! She's pretty, isn't she?"

"Yeah…"

I opened my eyes slowly, not wanting to see who was talking, but instantly recognizing their voices. "Good afternoon to you too." I muttered, looking around. Krad was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded against his chest. The slightly perverted kaitou Dark Mousy lounged in the chair I kept by my large window, Satoshi sat cross legged on the floor, looking like he was meditating, and Daisuke was sitting at the end of my bed.

"Oh good! You're awake!" Daisuke said, standing up. "I'm not surprised you passed out. It's a shock when you first get your wings, isn't it?" he winced, like he'd said too much.

"What? I don't- I can't- Wings?" I turned my head and looked over my shoulder. Sure enough, there were two wings, the same color as the hematite feather around my neck, sprouting from my back. "How did you guys get here?"

"Well, I think this might explain it." Krad said, flicking another envelope at me. It landed about an inch from my hand.

"Not another one!" I muttered, opening it.

_I suppose your getting sick of notes, so I'll keep this short. I wrote this before your father and I left, because I remembered that I hadn't told you where we were going. There was a horrible accident at one of the wind plants in California, and we had to leave immediately. I'm really sorry we had to leave on your birthday Gray. We'll make it up, promise. By the way… don't be too cruel to the boys. This is probably only their second time in the physical world. And __do__not__ let them on the internet!_

_Thanks _

_Mom_

My parents were both huge environmentalists and owned several wind farms around the California area. I remembered seeing something on the news a few days back about a fallen wind turbine, but not realizing it belonged to them.

"Not really. I hope you can explain." I wasn't really addressing anyone in particular, and I slowly became more aware of my surroundings. Wiz was sitting on my stomach, (I don't know how I didn't see him before) and a strange, white English springer spaniel was curled up by Krad's feet.

"The necklace you wear is the only cursed non-Hikari artwork to survive in this world." It was Satoshi speaking, which didn't surprise me the least. "It will summon Dark and Krad from wherever they are, along with their tamers and familiars. You probably don't know us, so this is-"

"I know who you all are, except the dog." I said, cutting Satoshi off.

"This is Ryoushi." Krad said, gesturing to the dog, who was sitting up attentively from the mention of his name. "My familiar."

"Oh. I'm Gray." I said. Standing up, I was blocked by Satoshi.

"How do you know who we are?" he demanded

"Do you want to know?" I replied, smiling.

"I would." Dark smirked

"Yeah, same here." Daisuke added

"It is curious how you know us. We aren't even from the same worlds." Krad's eerie yet beautiful tones added to the others agreement.

"Well, there isn't an easy way to tell you this…" I began, knowing I was torturing them. I didn't think this counted as being cruel to them, since they had, after all asked. "But you're characters from an anime. And a manga, but I haven't read that yet."

"Prove it." Dark challenged

"Well…" I said, thinking about my guitar, "I suppose I could." I stood up and almost fell backwards, unused to the extra weight of my wings, which I instinctively spread, not even thinking about what I'd done. "Come over here." I said, heading for my computer and loading the internet. I could not wait to see the looks on their faces. Of course, this was being cruel _and_ allowing the four online, but I suppose it couldn't be helped, and again, they had asked for it. I pulled up YouTube, and searched DN Angel. "There you are." I looked over at them, and had to swallow a fit of laughter. "Then you have the tributes." Their faces were priceless.

"DN Angel?" Daisuke finally broke the silence. "Why'd they name it that?"

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "There's quite a bit of debate about that, but a lot of people think it stands for 'Daisuke Niwa's Angel.'"

"Oh? That could just be a coincidence." Satoshi obviously didn't believe me. I clicked episode 1 and let "Byakuya" drift through the speakers. I didn't understand why I wouldn't just let it go, let them not believe me, but I guess my stubborn streak was acting up.

"Look, just don't post anything online, okay? I don't want people to think I've gone crazy or anything." I got up and went to the door.

"Where are you going?" I jumped. Krad had seemed almost uninterested in the show, which didn't surprise me, but it was a surprise that he was interested in me.

"To the roof." I replied, "My guitar's still up there."

"Mind if I come? I don't really care to watch this."

"Guess not." I actually _did_ mind, but there was no way on earth that I was getting on this angel's bad side.

"Great. Maybe I can show you how to fly. I did teach your mother."

"What?"

"I'll tell you when we're at the roof."

"Alright." I was eager to learn to fly, to test my wings, and to hear about my mom. I led Krad up two flights of stairs, and then finally through the trapdoor to the roof, which was a much tighter squeeze with wings. "Well, here we are." I said "It's not much, but the view's good" I mentally slapped myself. Why couldn't I think of something to say?

"Actually, it's quite nice. Have you ever watched a sunset up here?"

"Yeah, and I've come up here at night a few times to watch the stars." I picked up my guitar and microphone, and decided to leave the amp where it was. "Let's get back to the others before they discover fanfiction."

"Do I want to know?" Krad's smirk told me I was too late.

"No. Believe me, you don't."

"Should I tell you about your mother?"

I had completely forgotten about that. "We'll talk after a quick flight." I said, setting the amp and guitar back down.

"We'll start with a takeoff. I'm sure you'll figure everything out quickly." Krad spread his wings and jumped off the roof. I followed, copying his movements, and gliding through the air, decided that this was exactly what I was meant to be doing. Krad flapped his wings and began to rise. I followed him, and caught up quickly.

"Your mother would pass me." he said

"I'm not my mom." I replied quietly, "But I would like to know more about her."

"She never told you, did she." Krad said, "But she would have wanted to protect you, I'm sure."

"Protect me from what?"

"Me. Gray, most people see me as a monster. I found your mother washed up dead with the tide one night, after a fight with the thief. She lay there, broken and lifeless in the moonlight…"

"You fell in love?" I asked when he didn't continue

"I fell in love with her. I healed her, let her stay with the Hikari's, acting as my servant, my assassin. I did not know how to express how I felt. I made a mistake sending her to bring me Dark. They fell in love, and she left me. She almost killed me, left me to die, walked off with the kaitou. I hated everything then Gray, everyone. And then Pheo, your mother approached me again. She asked me to forgive her; she told me that she would find a way for us to get our own bodies, Dark and I. I walked away from her though; I had my back to her the whole time she talked to me. I was a stupid, ignorant fool Gray, and if you think I'm the monster everyone else does, I don't blame you."

I couldn't believe it. My mother, my light-hearted, joking mother had been an assassin. "Krad, I don't hate you. Everyone has to make mistakes. And you're not a monster. Personally, if I had to share a body with someone for however long, I would have gone insane too."

Krad smiled, but his eyes were still sad. "I feel like I can actually be myself around you." he said after a few minutes of silence. "I never felt that way around Pheo."

"I'm not as fast to judge. That's the difference between me and her."

Krad smiled again, and this time it reached his eyes. "Maybe we should get back."

"I suppose."

So as one, we turned and flew back toward the mansion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. I think that this fact is pretty obvious.

Krad and I landed lightly on the roof. I took one last look at the sky, where I had just so recently been, and so briefly belonged, and slowly picked up my guitar and microphone, wishing that I could have felt the wind rushing through my hair for a while longer, flown longer. I had been at home in the air, but now I had to return to the earth. I sighed and slipped back through the trapdoor. We then made our way back to my room, where the boys were reading through something.

"That's what it's like?" Daisuke was asking, "Kokuyoku?"

"As best as I can describe it." Dark replied, "But you can't really describe how it feels to go from a living, breathing form to…" He turned around and saw Krad and me standing in the doorway. "Oh! Umm, hi Gray, Krad…"

"What are you doing?" I asked, propping my guitar against the wall and going over to look at the computer screen. I quickly read through what Dark had written, and saved it. "This is brilliant! Can I post it online?"

Apparently Dark hadn't expected me to say anything like this, because his reply was a bit flustered. "Huh? Oh, um sure! Can I ask where?"

"Of course!" I replied, leaning over the keyboard. "Oh, and don't take anything personally." I pulled up fanfiction, and opened the DN Angel page. "It's called fanfiction for a reason."

Dark smirked. "I'll believe that when someone writes about me and Krad hooking up."

"Then believe it." I replied. "I've read more about you and Krad than Daisuke and Satoshi."

The latter two looked at each other, than stepped back, Daisuke blushing furiously. Dark's face paled, then he broke out into a wide grin.

"Hey Daisuke," he teased, "How long have you and creepy boy been together?"

"Daaark! Satoshi is not creepy!"

"And we're both straight!" Satoshi added

"Sure," Krad muttered, apparently miffed, "About as straight as a circle."

"Not you too!" Daisuke moaned. His face was redder than his hair, and I couldn't help feeling sorry for him. And the others, but Daisuke was taking it worse.

"Oh leave them alone!" I said sharply, "Besides, apparently you and Krad are more popular together…" I trailed off, seeing the shocked look on Krad's face

"Me and… Dark?" he asked weakly

I ignored the question, which I guessed was rhetorical. "Is anyone hungry?" I had looked at the small clock on the computer, and seen it was after 7:00.

"I'm starving!" Dark jumped out of the chair he was sitting in, and ran out of the room, Daisuke on his heels. Satoshi and Krad went a bit more slowly, and Wiz and Ryoushi apparently weren't interested. I walked out of my room last, thinking about what might be in the fridge that I could microwave. Maybe there was a frozen pizza or three. I couldn't cook to save my own, or anyone else's life. Maybe I'd just let them make something, being as lazy as I was. Besides, for some reason I wasn't hungry. As I walked into the kitchen, I realized the kaitou was taking dinner into his hands. I decided to put poison control on speed dial, just to be safe.

"Are you hungry Gray?" Dark asked

I decided to tell him the truth. "No, not really."

"Anorexic?" he asked

"No."

"Hmm, okay. Want something to eat anyways?"

"I can tell you don't believe me. And no, thanks." I rolled my eyes and walked into the living room. Daisuke was sitting on the couch; I sat down next to him. "Sorry about earlier." I said

"Oh, it's fine!" I was a bit taken back by how truthful he sounded, than realized it was Dark who I should apologize to.

"What are you planning?" I asked

"Oh, nothing." Daisuke replied airily

"If you say so..." I snickered, and Daisuke gave me a really weird look.

"Did I miss something?" he asked

"Hmm? No, I just was thinking back to this morning, when I didn't know you guys existed." This earned me another strange look, which I ignored.

Wiz hopped up onto my lap, and I scratched his head. He leaned into my hand like a cat, and "Kyuued" at me.

"Looks like he likes you!" Daisuke said

"Kyuu!"

I laughed, but then abruptly gave Wiz to Daisuke and stood up. "I'm sorry." I told him, "I have to talk to Dark and Krad." I had just realized something. Krad had healed my mother. That meant… "Krad! Dark! Get over here!"

The two angels came over, Dark's hair pale under a thin coating of flour, Krad, as usual, spotless.

"Did you heal my mom?" I asked Krad.

"Yes."

"And did you not say we came from different worlds?"

"Yes."

"So how did she end up here?"

"She was looking for a way to give Dark and I our own bodies." Krad answered simply, "After she had figured out how, she met your father, and had no wish to return."

"Am I needed here?" Dark asked

Krad and I both glared at him, which shut him up, and I continued. "Does my father know?" I asked "Would my mom have told him?"

"That," Krad and Dark said at the same time, "Is something you should ask him." They then glared daggers at each other as I laughed.

"Dark," I said once I had calmed down, "I want to know how you met her."

Krad stiffened. "I'll be leaving now." He got up and left.

"He doesn't like it that she preferred me. Anyways, Daiki, my previous tamer, woke up one morning to her screaming at Krad on the rooftop. He gave me control, and let me investigate; your mother's magical aura was that strong." He smirked, and then continued, "She calmed down quickly once she realized I wasn't a threat, and introduced herself as Pheo. At the Niwa family's invitation, she stayed for a few weeks. She was quite civil, almost to the point of being scary, but we all thought it was because she had lived for so long with the Hikari's. But she was working for Krad the whole time. I remember our first date, when she realized she didn't want me dead. Of course, this was when Krad planned to kill me, and she risked her life saving me. Krad had entrusted her with The Wedge of Time, which she used to wound him to the point of death. But something stopped her from killing him. Probably honor. We dated for a time, but I told her that when Daiki found his sacred maiden, I would cease to exist. She swore she would find a way for Krad and I to get our own bodies, and after years of research, and traveling to this world, she succeeded. But she met your father along the way, and like Krad said, didn't think there was a reason for her to return."

"Why did she hide this from me? Krad said it was because of him, but I don't think that's it." I was, if anything, more confused than before.

"I don't pretend to understand her, but I bet she wanted you to think she was sane."

"Thanks Dark. You can go back to cooking, I'm sorry I'm not helping, but I really don't want to poison you four…"

"Don't worry about it." He got back up and left for the kitchen.

"Wait!" I had just realized something else. "How'd she end up here? In this generation?" Because I had just realized that since Daiki was Daisuke's grandfather, my mom should be my grandmother.

"There was a jump in time when Pheo went through a portal that had been opened between the two worlds. She landed a generation ahead of her time."

"Hmm. Thanks again." I went back to the living room, where I was attacked by Ryoushi, who slobbered all over my face, his tail wagging wildly. "Down boy! Easy…" I shoved him down, and saw Daisuke and Satoshi deep in conversation, and Krad sitting off to one side, occasionally nodding or shaking his head, or voicing an opinion.

"No. He may be dumb, but he won't fall for that." Krad seemed anxious about whatever it may have been that Daisuke and Satoshi were talking about.

"What are you guys planning?" I asked with a smirk

Daisuke leapt three feet off of the couch, then turned toward me with a guilty expression, which became relieved when he saw who I was. "Oh! Umm, hi miss…"

"Valo," I said, "But keep calling me Gray."

"Gray. Whew, we-I thought for a second you were Da-" Satoshi clapped a hand over his mouth as Dark's head appeared around a corner. He was now completely coated in flour, and Ryoushi ran straight at him, trying to lick his face.

"Gaah! Get off of me you stupid mutt!" He saw Krad a second later, when Ryoushi backed off.

"What was that about Ryoushi?" Krad asked, his voice barely audible

"Umm, nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Dark said, retreating back to the kitchen. "Just saying dinner's ready, for those who want it…"

"Hmph. You're lucky I don't wish to destroy our host's house. I should kill you for insulting my familiar."

"I'll make a note of it!" Dark said, ducking back into the kitchen, followed by Satoshi and Daisuke.

"Arrogant, ignorant, damned kaitou." Krad muttered, "C'mere Ryoushi." The dog trotted obediently over, and Krad scratched him behind the ears. "Dark thinks that a familiar should be wings." Krad said to me. "Ryoushi has his own wings, but he never seems to use them."

"His own wings?" I asked

"He's my partner in hunting Dark. He has beautiful golden wings, which he can use to fly, but he never seems to want to leave the ground."

"Does his name mean something?"

"Hunter."

"That's fitting."

"Thanks."

We sat there in silence. I was lost in thought. This morning I had woken up to my mom telling me that I would be on my own for a month, and given me a necklace that had summoned four characters from an anime, who had proceeded to turn most of my life upside down. I had flown through the sky on gray wings, learned about my mom's past, and how she had come from a different world, all so fast my brain had hardly processed any of it. Yet, I was still strangely calm. I didn't understand why I felt so at home, with four strangers in my house, one psychotic, one perverted, two about my age but as different as ice and fire. _Ice and fire… _I thought _I'll have to start calling them that._

"Gray?" Krad asked, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"No reason."

"There must be a reason."

"You looked cold."

"Sure."

"Well, you did."

"Just tired." I yawned

"Flying does that. Wait until I teach you to use your magic. Your mother had trouble staying airborne sometimes."

"I look forward to it. Maybe tomorrow?" I yawned again

"If you feel up to it. But now you should rest."

"I'm not tired…" I said, trying to stay awake.

"Please, I can tell you are. I need to go to the kitchen to make sure Dark isn't poisoning anyone with whatever it is he's calling dinner."

"If he is, dial nine."

Just then, the phone rang. I heard someone pick up, and I hoped it wasn't one of my friends on the other end. Dark's head poked into the living room.

"It's for Gray."

I stood up a bit shakily, and took the phone from him.

"Hello?"

"Gray? Are you alright?" My mom's voice crackled a bit, but the concern was all too obvious.

"Yeah. Just tired."

"I'm really sorry about leaving. Your father is too, but there was no choice. It was go, or lose the branch."

"Does dad know about this?"

"He knows a little."

"Does he know that I have wings?"

"He knew that it was a possibility. What do they look like?"

"The same color as that hematite feather. Mom, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I wanted to protect you."

"If you wanted to protect me, you wouldn't have given me that necklace." I was trying to hold my temper, but it was hard. "You threw me into a life that I didn't know about. That before today, I wouldn't have wanted." I looked at Krad and gave him a fleeting smile.

"Gray, I'm sorry."

"Sorry! Sorry is not going to change the fact that there are four boys, a dog, and a rabbit now at the house. Sorry is not going to change the fact that I have wings!"

"Gray, listen to me! I cannot change what has happened. Even if I could, I wouldn't. I've had a better life because of what happened to me. Ask Dark."

"Oh, so it's back to your _precious_ Dark, isn't it? Why don't I ask Krad?"

"Stay away from him!"

"Why? What's so wrong with him?"

"He's a psychotic, homicidal monster! Stay away from him!" With that, she hung up on me.

"He's changed." I told the dial tone, "Because of you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. I also don't think I should have to say this before every chapter.

"She what?" Krad apparently couldn't believe what I had just told him

"She hung up on me." I replied, "For defending you."

"I can't believe it. Even now, she hates me. She still loves the kaitou." Krad hung his head.

"Why does she hate you?" I asked, "You healed her! She wouldn't have met Dark if it weren't for you!"

"Try telling her that."

"I will, once she calls back to apologize." I sat back down next to Krad, who draped a wing over my shoulder.

"Did she hate you when you first healed her?" I asked tentatively

The wing stiffened, "She thought she was dead. I suppose it was the wings. When she realized she was alive, she was eternally grateful, or so she said at the time."

"You felt like she betrayed you, when she went to Dark." It wasn't really a question on my part, but Krad answered anyway.

"Yes."

Again, there was a long, awkward silence, during which I could hear the three others eating whatever it was Dark had cooked. I had no clue what it could possibly be, or why he had been covered in flour the last time I had seen him. Wiz hopped onto my lap, and I stroked him automatically, humming "Rakuen" under my breath.

"What is that called?" Krad asked me.

"Rakuen. In the anime, it's your theme."

"Ah. It is strange, being in a world where so many know of you, yet you are unknown to almost everyone at the same time."

It took me a second to figure that one out. Then I replied, "I suppose it must." I was really trying to stay awake, but my eyelids were so heavy, and "Rakuen", whether I listened to it or hummed it, always made me sleepy. I slowly drifted off.

_I was floating through an infinite blackness, wings spread, trying to tempt a breeze, but the air was completely still. I wished I knew where I was, but the thought vanished as the area around me began to lighten, and I saw my mom and dad standing in front of Dark, Krad, Satoshi, and Daisuke. I landed by Krad, and stood between him and mom, but no one paid me any attention. I took several steps back, because the air between the two was electric. I could almost see lighting flashing in the air. _

_ "Stay away from her." My mom growled_

_ "With all due respect Pheo," Krad said, not sounding at all respectful, "No."_

_ "Oro," My mom pleaded with my father, "Help me. I've told you what he's like!" She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around to face her._

_ "If what Dark says is true, then Krad is the only one who can keep her alive. It is her life on the line." My father replied calmly, taking her hands in his own._

_ "No. No, I will _not_ allow it!" Mom was furious, there were tears glistening in her eyes._

_ "You have no choice." Satoshi said quietly_

_ "I can't- I can't let her go!"_

_ "You have to." This time it was Dark speaking. "This isn't about Krad anymore! Or your stupid rivalry! It's about Gray. She is dying, and only Emiko can heal her."_

_ "Why?" _

"_The wound was fatal, and was delivered by-" Dark's voice caught, "By me."_

"_Dark? You…?"_

_ "Krad can keep her alive until then." Dark said quickly, "But I can do nothing, because it was my magic that did this to her, and I cannot reverse one of my spells." Dark's wings hung limply at his sides, he seemed to be in shock_.

_ "So why can't _Krad _heal her?" She spat out his name like it was a vile substance_

_ "I have already explained this to you!" Krad snapped, "Dark's magic is irreversible by another angel! We have to take her to Emiko, or she will die." _

_ "Mom? Dad? I'm right here. I'm still alive." I reached out to tap my mom on the shoulder, but my hand passed through her, like a projection. _

_ "I- I just don't understand." Mom was crying now, tears streaking her face._

_ "It's like this-" _

"Gray?" Someone was shaking my shoulder. "Gray, wake up!"

"Wha?" I sat bolt upright

"It's almost ten 'o' clock." Daisuke was sitting beside me

"What? Where are the others?"

"Dark and Satoshi are eating- we all only got up a few minutes ago- and I haven't seen Krad since last night. What were you dreaming about, by the way? You were muttering about still being alive, but you didn't seem so sure."

"I was dreaming?" I asked, "I don't remember…" I stretched my wings and stood. "I'm going to the roof. To think."

As I clambered through the trapdoor, I saw Krad sitting at the roof's edge, with Ryoushi by his side. Without turning around, Krad spoke.

"I thought you might come up here."

"You thought right." I said, sitting down beside him.

"You sleep late."

"You get up early." I replied. I usually slept until noon, but I had felt uneasy when I'd woken up. Probably just something I felt from my dream, but I hadn't had a dream I couldn't remember in ages. At least, not that someone had told me about. I thought maybe I should try to talk about it, but I couldn't remember a single thing about it to start with. "Have you ever had a dream you couldn't remember?"

"Millions." Krad replied, "But none of them meant much, from the pieces I recalled."

"But, what about a dream you can't remember at all?"

"Probably. I just wouldn't know about them."

"True." I smiled. The dream had probably been just that: a dream. It would be best to not worry about it.

"So, do you feel rested?"

"I guess…" I replied

"I can show you how to control your magic, but we won't be flying until you have become able to stay awake for at least a few hours afterward."

"Later, maybe. When I'm a little more awake." I was eager, but still groggy.

"You seem smart."

"That's an odd comment." I said, annoyed

"Well, Pheo almost killed herself twice using magic, and I have collapsed to many times to count fighting the thief." Krad still hadn't looked away from the horizon.

A piece of my dream came back to me._ I cannot reverse one of my spells. _"Can you reverse magic?" I asked

"No. Once a spell is cast, it is permanent, unless, of course…" Krad trailed off, and I could tell he didn't want to talk about it. The cross he wore in his long hair glittered in the sunlight, and I noticed a small inscription on it, thrown into a shadowy relief by the sun's rays. _"Byakuya" _ The white night. How fitting.

"Could a spell be kept at bay?"

"Why are you asking me about this?" Krad seemed suddenly tense, agitated.

"It's about that dream. When you talked about magic, a piece of it came back to me."

"Yes. If the magic of another is used, then a spell can be held back for an indefinite amount of time, depending on the strength of the wounder, and that of the healer."

"So, if Dark somehow injured me, like, fatally, you could keep me alive?"

"After murdering him as slowly as possible, yes."

"Would you have to murder him?"

"No, but I would dearly want to. Don't tell me you have feelings for him?"

"I guess he's like a brother. An older, perverted brother I never wanted." I smiled.

Krad laughed. "I think it's the same way for me. Except, of course, I use him for target practice."

I gasped, pretending to look shocked, and probably failing, due to the laughter that was bubbling up my throat. "Krad! How could you?" I looked at his face and said, "What? I was being sarcastic!"

"Oh." Krad shoved a puzzled Ryoushi away from his face, which caused the dog to fall off of the roof with a yelp of surprise. I gasped and jumped to my feet, fully prepared to fly after him, but Krad grabbed my shoulder. Gently, but it was enough to stop me. "He'll catch himself. He has wings, remember?" Sure enough, the dog flew back up to us on golden wings, barking with joy.

"Why does he never use his wings?" I asked Krad "He seems so happy flying."

"He's shy. He's never seen another dog with wings, so he hides them."

I thought about this as I watched the winged dog fly around the roof. "Ryoushi, come here!" I called, and then whistled. If you haven't heard me whistle, consider yourself lucky. My parents tell me that I could shatter glass. Ryoushi glided down to me, and folded his wings. "Good boy Ryoushi! Good boy!" I told him, stroking his silky ears.

"What are you doing?" Krad asked, wincing a little.

"Praising him for flying. Magical being or not, all dogs need praise when they do something you want them to."

"Hmm. It looks like you're not the only one who will be learning to fly." Krad stroked the dogs head, and he leaned into his master's touch.

"He's quite a flyer already." I said, still rubbing his ears.

"He's going to get better, if he wants to help me catch Dark." Our hands touched, and almost as an instinct, I pulled mine away, at the same time Krad tried to lace his fingers with mine. I blushed, and then put my hand in his. Ryoushi just sat there, like it was completely normal for two teenagers to be petting him on moment and holding hands the next. I kept my eyes fixed on Ryoushi's head, too afraid to look Krad in the eyes, but with his other hand, he traced my jaw, turning my face to look at his. Our eyes met, feral amber and deep gray-blue, and I couldn't look away, even if I had wanted to.

There was a knock on the trapdoor, and Dark, without waiting for a reply, climbed onto the roof. "Well, this is nice." He commented, walking towards us with a smirk on his face, probably knowing very well what he was walking in on.

"Get lost." I snapped, jerking my head out of Krad's light touch, "You aren't wanted here."

"Hmm, well, I'm here, nothing you can do about that now." Dark said, leaning against the chimney by the trapdoor. "Have you flown?" he asked

"Yes," I growled, "As if it were any of your business. Now get lost!"

"Like I said," Dark replied, "I'm here, and there's nothing you two lovebirds can do about it."

"Actually, there is something I can do about it." Krad said calmly, standing up and stepping towards Dark, who took several steps back, lost his balance, and fell.

"Wiz!" I could see in my mind's eye the rabbit jumping out of a window and becoming Dark's wings.

"He still won't use his own wings, the fool." Krad muttered

"Speaking of wings," I said, "I should probably learn how to hide mine."

"Picture them vanishing." Krad said, as though he hadn't just watched Dark fall off of the roof. "If that doesn't work, there's a spell I can use to banish them."

So, I closed my eyes, and pictured them vanishing in a whirl of feathers. When I opened my eyes, they were still there.

"Let me try this." Krad put a gloved hand on one of my wings, and muttered a few words that I couldn't hear. My wings stayed. "That's odd…" he muttered, "The banishing spell has always worked. Maybe we should talk to Satoshi…"

"Oh, you think?" It seemed that my sarcastic streak was acting up. That normally meant I was scared about something, which was weird, because I wasn't at all afraid of having wings for the rest of my life.

"Gray, this is serious. If magic can't fix this, I don't have a clue what could." He leapt through the trapdoor and ran down the stairs, with me following close behind, the moment on the roof forgotten. I didn't understand why my wings wouldn't go away, but I didn't mind. I had gotten used to them, and I had a black traveler's cloak in my closet that I could use to hide them. I voiced these thoughts to Krad as we jumped over the third floor banister, but he replied, "You'll be miserable. It would be a lot easier to figure out how to banish them." We glided down to the ground floor, and I felt the familiar joy of having nothing beneath my feet. Of course, we landed all too soon, after only a few seconds. The first person I saw was Dark, who pointedly turned his back on us and walked off, Wiz on his shoulder. I checked the living room, and Krad poked his head in the kitchen. I flew back up to my room, reveling in the feel of the air below my wings, and the almost weightless feeling. How I had ever just used the stairs, I didn't know.

Satoshi was sitting at my computer, typing hurriedly. He looked up at the sound of my footsteps, and muttered a quick, "Hello."

"Hey," I said, going to stand behind him, "What're you typing?"

"I'm correcting this file of Dark's. I don't know if there's a worse speller anywhere."

"I suppose he ignored the spell check?" I asked, looking at all of the red underlined words.

"And the spacebar, in some spots." Satoshi smiled at my expression.

"Um, okay then… Krad wanted to talk to you."

He frowned slightly. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Okay. I'll tell him." I glided back downstairs to where Krad was, and told him what Satoshi had said.

"I don't know why you're so worked up about this." I told him, "It hardly matters. There are about a million ways to hide my wings, most of which don't involve magic."

"And _all_ of which could result in them being seen!" Krad snapped. He rounded on me, white-gold sparks trailing from his fingers.

"I don't think that will happen. And if you try to use magic against me-"

"You can't control your own," Krad snarled, "So what are you going to do?"

I snapped my fingers, and a gray spark leapt from them. "Oh, but I think I can. Don't doubt me." I clenched my hand into a fist, and a ball of gray energy formed around it like a glove. At least, it felt like energy. I could see that flecks of gold, purple, red and blue were marbled through it.

"Gray. Don't do this…"

"And why shouldn't I?"

"I can easily overcome you, seeing as you have had no training."

"Try it!" My red-headed temper was taking over.

"Don't tempt me." Krad whispered, his cat eyes mere slits.

"Erm, you wanted to speak with me?" Satoshi called. He was standing about halfway up the stairs, where he was safe from what could become an all out fight.

I blinked. Then the world spun, and everything went black.

AN: Well, Gray has anger issues, and yeah, she is a redhead. I keep forgetting to mention that. Please R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Disclaimer: I think it is very important for you, the reader, to know that I don't own DN Angel. And that I'm running out of clever ways to point this fact out!

"Gray, wake up." Daisuke's worried voice cut through the blackness that still enveloped me.

"She isn't-" Satoshi began, but Krad cut him off.

"Don't even think that. She's still breathing, isn't she?"

I tried to open my eyes, but I felt paralyzed. My body wouldn't obey my mind, and I panicked slightly. What was wrong with me? I remembered fighting with Krad, and trying to control my magic, but then… but then everything was blank. I must have passed out. A shock ran through my body, and my eyes snapped open. "What was that?" I muttered, sitting up slightly. Wiz was again sitting on my stomach, and I scratched his head.

"Kyuu? Kyuu, kyuu?" I took this as his way of saying, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." I said, "Just a bit confused as to what shocked me."

"Sorry," Krad said, "That was me."

"Magic?"

"Yes."

"And have you figured out how to hide my wings?" I asked.

"Well, if you want, we can get them surgically removed," Krad suggested, "But other than that, no."

"Well, forget about surgery." I said immediately, "I'd sooner be shot." Of course, I didn't mean that, but that was for me to know.

"But it's weird, isn't it?" Daisuke asked, "I mean, Satoshi and I can hide our own wings, and you and Dark-" Krad twitched slightly at the thief's name, but Daisuke continued as though nothing was wrong, "-hardly have to think about hiding them, so why can't Gray?"

"I think it may be-" Satoshi was again cut off by Krad, who was glaring at him like he wanted him to drop dead.

"What?" I asked, curious.

"Don't ask." Krad said, with the slightest touch of venom in his voice. I guessed it involved either Dark or my mom, and I didn't care to see either of them at the moment. I let the subject drop.

"So… I passed out?" I said to change the subject

"You put too much strain on yourself when you called on your magic." Krad said, "Though I don't know why your eyes changed…"

"What?" I asked, startled. Why would my eyes have changed? They had always been blue.

"They were gray, and the pupils were slits."

"Like yours?" I asked, surprised.

"It doesn't matter." he said, "They're back to normal now."

I sighed. The angel was being impossible. But then I remembered he was like this with Satoshi, and how protective he was of his tamer. Well, ex-tamer anyway. Did he…? No way. I remembered the rooftop. I shook the memory from my head, my hair fluttering around my face. I wasn't lovable. I was hardly likable, but… there was something about Krad… And when we were on the roof, he'd almost- I shook my head again, ridding myself of these thoughts. _"He's just a friend, Gray"_ I thought to myself, _"Aren't we just friends?"_ Then, _"Yeah, in a boyfriend/ girlfriend sort of way." _I remembered something, something I had seen in Krad's eyes when he had turned on me. Could it have been… worry? I quietly tried to murder my subconscious, but failed. I settled for another head shake.

"Gray? You seem really out of it." Daisuke's red eyes looked really creepy in the physical world, but they were filled with concern.

I flicked some hair out of my face, and stood up slowly. "I'm fine. Really, I am."

Dark poked his head into my room. "Well, if it isn't-" Krad threw a ball of white energy towards his head, which Dark ducked with ease. "- Krad's sacred maiden! Awake at last, are we?"

I thought I was going to pass out again. Krad's sacred maiden? How…? But… I didn't understand, but I didn't care either. Krad's sacred maiden. Krad's sacred maiden. But… we were from different worlds. I was dimly aware of something shooting past my head, and then I heard glass shattering as the window at the far corner of my room buckled under Dark's weight.

"Wiz!"

"He really should know by now that just because I'm younger doesn't mean I'm weaker." Krad's feral cat eyes glinted psychotically, and I gave an involuntary shudder. "In fact, I am stronger than he will ever be." Then he seemed to revert back to his old self, and muttered something about how we could cut ourselves with all of the glass littering the floor. He waved a gloved hand, and the window repaired itself, just in time for Dark to run into it.

Satoshi gave me a look that said, "Yeah, this normal."

I snickered as Dark peeled his face off of the window, and fell to the lawn with a yell. The gardener might not be happy with that, if he ever came back from his now two month Hawaiian vacation. The doorbell started ringing. Apparently Dark hadn't been injured, or at least not badly.

"A phantom thief using a doorbell." Krad muttered, "Now I've heard everything." There was a crash and a thud. Apparently Dark didn't feel like waiting to be let in. I sighed and grabbed my guitar and microphone, and muttered that I'd be on the roof, and I wanted to be alone. No one followed me as I jogged up the stairs, ignoring my wings. I needed time to think, and it would take longer to go up the stairs on foot than fly. My mind was a blur of thoughts, but the one that wouldn't leave me was, "_Krad's sacred maiden. I am Krad's sacred maiden, but we're from different worlds. How did this happen? How is it that I could be chosen as Krad's maiden? Could I live in his world?" _And there were my parents to worry about. My mom would definitely _not _be happy with this, and-

I hit my head on the trapdoor. I hadn't even seen where my feet had taken me. I opened the door, and on closing it, dragged the amp, which was still sitting on the roof, over it. It wouldn't be much help, but it would delay anyone who tried to come up here. I sat down and leaned against the chimney, which was technically just a decoration, seeing as all of the fireplaces had been filled in. I strummed my guitar, not really thinking of playing anything, when my cell phone rang. The ringtone was "6 Months" by Hey Monday. I checked the caller ID. It was Candra, one my friends.

"Hey Lumi." I said, picking up. I had always called Candra Lumi, because her name meant "Luminescent."

"Hi Gray! How are you?"

"Fine, and you?" It felt so… normal to be talking to Candra. She was easily my best friend, we had known one another since kindergarten, and she was one of the few people who liked me for who I was.

"I'm great! But, do you remember that anime that you showed me online? DN Angel?" Candra always got to the point.

My stomach flipped. "Yeah. Why?"

"Haven't you watched the news?" Candra asked, surprised, "There were sightings of what people could only describe as angels. The witnesses said that one had a cross at the end of its hair. D'you think it could've been Krad? And Dark?" I could see Candra's eyes misting over at Dark's name. That was the only thing we had ever disagreed about, which of the two angels was better.

"Candra, I need you to come over here, now. I have to know about that report. This is life or death."

"Gray, what is it? You haven't called me Candra since… well, never!"

"Exactly. Please Lumi; you need to come over here now."

"Okay, I'll see about getting a ride… no, I'll take my bike."

"Thank you. Please be quick."

"I'm leaving now." Candra said, and with that, hung up.

I grabbed my guitar and slipped back through the trapdoor. _People knew about us. They had seen me flying with Krad._ I jumped the third floor banister, and glided to my room. _We were all in danger._ I grabbed the black traveler's cloak I had told Krad about from my closet, and pinned it around my neck. _What would happen to us? Where were the boys? _I ran back out of my room, and jumped the second floor banister, diving towards the ground. I spread my wings at the last second, and landed pretty well. I ran into the kitchen, where I saw Daisuke. He walked towards me, and just as he was about to speak, there was a loud bang that sounded like it had come from downstairs.

"Hi Gray!" he said, "I like the cloak, um, where are you going?"

"Nowhere. What was that noise?"

"Dark must've dropped something…"

"Of course." I rolled my eyes, "Look, can you bring everyone to the living room?"

"I can try…" Daisuke said doubtfully

"Great!" I said, just as the doorbell rang. I went to the front door, and saw Candra standing on the porch with her bike.

"Nice cloak," She said when I opened the door, "But isn't it June?"

"Come in," I said, "I'll explain everything."

"Where should I put my bike?"

"Bring it in with you." I knew my parents would be about as happy with this as the Dark shaped indent in the back lawn, but I didn't care.

"So really, what's with the cloak?" Candra asked again, pulling her auburn hair out of its ponytail. She didn't give up easily, a trait we shared.

"Lumi, did you ever finish DN Angel?"

"Six times." Candra said proudly, "And I read the manga."

"Wow… Well, my mom gave me this for my birthday," I showed her the necklace, "and it summoned the four main characters here."

"Gray, I'm sorry but that's crazy. Besides, there are five feathers on that necklace…"

"That's why I'm wearing the cloak."

Candra arched her eyebrows. "Gray, I'm not crazy. Sorry, but as much as I would like to believe you, I don't."

"Dark!" I called, "Come here!"

"Yes?" Dark poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Dark," I said, "This is my friend Candra, Candra, the Kaitou Dork- I mean Dark." I said. Lumi and Dark both stared at each other. Dark didn't even register the insult.

"You- you can call me Lumi." Candra breathed

"And I am just Dark." Dark said

"Krad! Daisuke! Satoshi! Come over here!"

The three boys walked into the room, and Candra gasped. "Gray, is this a dream?" I gave her a light slap on the face, and she laughed. "I guess not…"

"Krad, Daisuke, Satoshi, this is Candra, Candra, I'm sure you know these three."

"But, weren't Dark and Krad sealed?" Candra asked me, "And how'd they get their own bodies?"

"Maybe I should explain how they got here first." I said, sitting down. Candra sat beside me, and Dark went to sit by her. I noticed his shoulder was bleeding, like Krad had stabbed him again. I looked over at Krad, jerked my head towards Dark, and arched my eyebrows. Krad just smiled at me and twirled something between his fingers. It looked like a small sword… and it was gold…

"Well, are you going to tell me?" Candra's voice cut into my thoughts.

"Umm, in a minute." I told her, "Actually, ask Satoshi, I think he knows better than I do. Krad, I need to ask you something."

"Of course, Gray." He followed me up to the second floor.

"Please tell me that isn't the-"

"This?" Krad said, holding the small sword in his hand, "No, not the Wedge of Time. A replica, of sorts." The sword grew in his hands, until it was three feet long. "This was your mothers."

"Oh."

"You should take that cloak off." Krad told me, "You look… well, you'd look better without it."

"Most of the people I know say the same thing." I said, unpinning the cloak and draping it over my arm. My wings were now visible, and I was worried about Lumi's reaction, and the new thoughts swirling through my mind. My mom had killed with that sword, and Krad was speaking about it like it was no big deal. I felt slightly sick.

"Gray? You don't look well," Krad said, concern in his heavily accented voice.

"Neither would you if you found out you mother was an assassin." I said in a whisper. My vision suddenly changed. I could see everything even what was in shadows, as clearly as though there was a bright light shining on them.

"Your eyes…" Krad said, "Your eyes just changed again."

I ran to a mirror that was hanging in the hallway, and looked at my eyes. They were exactly how Krad had described them, gray, with vertical pupils. "Krad, why is this happening?"

"I don't know," he said, "But I don't think it's too serious. We should probably head back down, before Dark starts getting ideas." I felt my face go scarlet.

"He really is a pervert, isn't he?" I asked, following Krad as he jumped over the banister.

"You have no idea." Krad muttered. We landed back on the ground floor, and I felt suddenly dizzy. My vision wouldn't show me what I was used to seeing. Instead of spotless white walls, there were gray stones, wet and mildewed, and where the lights had been, there were lit torches.

"Krad," I asked, "Do you see this?"

"See what?" Krad asked looking puzzled

"The walls…" I muttered, "And the lights."

"Gray, the walls haven't changed…" Krad said, looking at me doubtfully.

"They're stone. And the lights are torches. What's wrong with me?" But just as I said this, the walls were white again, and the torches were electric lights. "Never mind… I just don't get it."

"It doesn't matter." Krad said, but he looked worried, "It's probably nothing…"

"You aren't acting like it's nothing." I said, "Why won't you tell me what you're so worried about?

"Because I don't know!" Krad said, "I've never heard of anything like this… Shall we ask Satoshi?"

"I doubt 'Your Everything' would know," I snapped, "If you don't. You're how old? Satoshi is fourteen! Why would he know?"

"I lived within him for a year. Much of my knowledge was passed on to him."

"You don't know though. How would Satoshi?" I was really freaked out about what I had seen, and the feeling that had come with it. A feeling of betrayal.

"He can link things together that most people couldn't. It's just possible that he could have a guess as to why you had just seen… whatever it was you saw." He walked out to the living room, but I stayed where I was. I wanted; no I needed to talk to someone who would actually understand what I had just gone through. I didn't know if anyone had though. I was possibly unique, and I hated the feeling of being under a microscope.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, SOMEONE SAW US?" Krad's voice cut through my self-pity, and I ran into the living room.

"I believe Candra means that someone saw you and Gray flying." Dark said calmly.

"Do you know what this means Mousy?" Krad asked, threat apparent in his voice, "What this means for us? For our tamers? Our familiars? Our _maidens_?" Dark flinched, and I thought I saw him glance at Lumi. "Exactly." Krad purred, "We are all, every one of us, in danger."

"Krad, explain yourself!" Satoshi snapped, as cold as ever.

"You know what scientists are like!" Satoshi paled, but Krad continued, "If they get their hands on any of us, any single one of us, even Ryoushi or Wiz, it will be over! We will be found out!"

"It won't be like that here." I said, and all heads turned towards me. Lumi's jaw dropped when she saw my wings, but I didn't acknowledge it. "The government will tell the public that the video was a fake; probably do something to make the people who saw us forget about us, or say they were forced to say that it was a genuine tape. Meanwhile, we will get nice little cells in some underground laboratory, and will probably be experimented on, as if we were lab rats, and not humans." I was shaking, with fear or rage, I didn't know. Probably both. I had finally found a life that I loved, and one stupid mistake had ruined it.

"I am sure you are thinking that will happen, Gray, but I doubt that anyone knows that the two angels are here." Krad tried to sound reassuring, and I felt a little better, but at that exact moment, the doorbell rang. I threw on my cloak, and went slowly to the door. I glanced back and I saw the boys had vanished, and Lumi had turned on the T.V. I looked through the curtain that covered the window and saw a policeman standing on the porch. I opened the door and invited him in.

"Hello," he said stepping into the living room and blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light, "Have either of you girls watched the news recently?"

I decided it would be best to play dumb. "No, officer, we haven't."

"Well, then, you haven't heard about the two angels that people have supposedly sighted?" He asked, giving me a strange look.

_"He knows."_ I thought. "No sir, we haven't." I told him, looking him in the eyes, "But I think that some people have far too much time-"

"Argentine!" Candra screamed, and I realized the "officer" had gray eyes very similar to mine.

"Hmph, at last, someone recognizes me." he said, pulling off his hat to reveal brown-blonde hair. "So I take it that the angels are here?" The boy looked to be around 14. I don't know how I had mistaken him for a policeman, but I didn't know if I could trust him. I acted fast. I whipped off my cloak and threw it over his head, stepped behind him and locked the door, spreading my wings to block it.

"Gaah!" The muffled shout came from under the cloak before Argentine got it away from his head, "Well, you are fast… Krad's maiden, I presume?"

"As if it matters to you Argentine." Krad was standing behind the boy; both he and Dark had dropped silently from above at Lumi's shout, and Dark was again sitting by Lumi, talking to her as though nothing was going on. Lumi seemed to be acting strangely about something, and the boy everyone was calling Argentine was looking at my wings with a mixture of curiosity, disappointment, and hatred.

"I was brought here with instructions to give something to Gray Valo." He said slowly, seeming a little confused. I didn't understand why Krad was acting as though this scrawny fourteen year old boy was a threat, or how Lumi had known him. There was most definitely not an Argentine in the anime. But Candra had said she had read the manga, so he must be a character not mentioned in the anime.

"I am she." I replied cautiously, still not sure whether or not I should trust this boy, "What is it you were sent to bring me?"

"Two things." Argentine said, "The first is something I do not completely understand, and the second is this." He looked at something in his hand, and then showed me an amethyst feather, like the ones that I wore on my necklace. "Emiko said that this was for the girl named Gray, but then she told me it held the wings of Dark's sacred maiden." I stared at Lumi, who was looking at Dark, who was staring in disbelief at Argentine. Krad looked tense.

I took the feather, but I didn't put it on the necklace. I'd had a choice about getting wings, though I hadn't really known it, and I would give Lumi that choice.

"What was the second thing? I mean the first?" I asked.

"I was supposed to tell you something… Emiko said that she thought you might not be a Gray Maiden like your mother. She thought maybe you could be an Eternal Maiden. I don't know what it means." Argentine said with a shrug, "I'm just passing the message on."

"An Eternal Maiden?" Krad asked him, "What does that mean?"

"I just said I didn't know, didn't I?" Argentine said, "I expect I'll be seeing you all soon, and I'm sure Emiko will explain then."

"Wait!" Dark called, sitting up, "What do you mean, see us soon?"

"Well, you will all be safe in our world while this dies down, so Emiko has invited the maidens to the Niwa household. She hopes they will come."

"No." Krad said, "We will not be coming."

"Well, the invitation is open." Argentine said, and then vanished. I looked around, even by my feet, but there was no sign of anything alive. Or dead, for that matter.

"Well, that was odd." Lumi said, "Gray, do you mind if I look at that feather?"

"Not at all, here." I walked over and sat down beside her, giving her the feather. Krad looked a bit confused, and I didn't bother asking why. If someone had just vanished in front of my eyes I would be confused too. Well, I was actually, but I had just started to tell myself that these things were normal, and letting them slip to the back of my mind. Besides, the more important thing was to figure out whether or not people actually believed the video of me and Krad flying was genuine. And at the moment, I wanted someone else to take care of that problem.

"It matches your eyes." Lumi was telling Dark, who smiled.

"Do you want wings?" I asked her.

"I don't know…" Lumi said, but I could tell she did.

"It's the most amazing feeling, flying." Dark said, putting an arm around her shoulder, "It's like floating and falling at the same time."

"Not really," I said, "It's more like floating, with an occasional slip. That's what makes it interesting." I said, thinking about my first (and at the moment, only) flight. "But it's your decision."

Lumi looked from me, to Dark, to Krad, then back to Dark. "Does it hurt?" she asked me

"Horribly, but it's worth it." I said, trying to sound like my back didn't still have an aching pain.

"I have a choice?"

"Of course Lumi." Dark said, pulling her close. I smiled mentally, thinking that maybe now Dark had found his sacred maiden.

Lumi had never seemed so unsure. I thought about what I would have done, knowing the choices ahead of time. Well, I wouldn't have been bothered by it; I would have given myself wings.

"I-I'll do it." Lumi said sounding sure of herself, even though I could see uncertainty in her eyes, "Give me wings." She gave me the amethyst feather.

AN: Erm, yeah, I don't really know why I brought Argentine into this, but Lumi will be very important to this story. Of course, I won't tell you how, but… she will be.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. Promise. (Or Paramore, Hey Monday, or Orianthi.)

Lumi wanted wings. I wasn't sure what I felt about this, I was still disoriented from Argentine's visit. I slowly unclasped my necklace, giving it to Lumi, who looked at it as though it was the cure for cancer.

"Wow, Gray, it's beautiful." Lumi said softly, tracing the feathers lightly with her thumb.

"Soon, we will both be a part of it." I said, thinking that I had been told where to put my feather, and wondering if Lumi would know where to put hers. Somehow she must have, because she set the feather gently between mine and Dark's. There was no flash this time, but a thin strand of purple light shot out of the amethyst feather, tracing symbols on Lumi's arm. She gasped and tried to pull away, but the light continued tracing symbols onto her flesh. I realized after a few moments that they were English letters, and they were spelling something.

"When you need us most, we will come." Dark read, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Krad snapped his fingers, making me jump. "The Eternal Maiden!" He suddenly became aware of everyone else, even Daisuke and Satoshi had decided to come out from wherever they were. "But, we should focus on the issue at hand, shouldn't we?"

"I suppose that… they're fading." Lumi was staring at her arm, where the letters, which had been glowing dark purple, were fading until they were the same pale violet as her eyes. "Weird."

"Hey Lumi," I said, "Does this remind you of anything?" Because something about those words seemed very familiar.

"Sort of…" Lumi muttered, "But I can't think of what."

"Me either." I said, knowing that the thought of the words wouldn't leave my mind until I had remembered where I'd seen or heard them before.

"Well, I am interested in what Krad has to say about The Eternal Maiden." Satoshi said, after a long silence.

"It was something mentioned in one of the old artworks…"

"Hey, yeah! I remember now!" Dark cried

Krad glared at him. "As I was saying, it was one of the old artworks, an old vase, I think. I remember it so well because it was easily the most dangerous Hikari artwork ever created. The dragon vase, I believe it was called."

AN: I made this up; any resemblance to any artwork at all is a complete coincidence.

"That was the most horrible thing I ever tried to seal." Dark said, "It thought I was a treat."

"That was amazing," Krad said, "I didn't have to do anything but sit back and watch." He smiled, probably thinking back to that night. Lumi glared at him. "But anyway, there was a legend carved on the vase, and that was the reason the Niwa's wanted Dark to steal it. The legend was about a maiden, who was the third half of the black wings. Of course, I never got to see it, because Dark sealed the dragon and stole the vase. But maybe he or Daisuke can tell us."

"Don't look at me!" Dark said, "I just steal stuff."

"Daisuke?" I asked

"Most of it was worn away." Daisuke said, "But there was something about a different world, which must be this one, and gray wings, there was always mention of gray wings, which was when it was talking about someone called The Eternal Maiden. But there was a mention of violet wings, and…"

"And what?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"Death," Daisuke finished, "And the white wings maiden being eternal. The rest was too faded to read."

I stared at Lumi, who looked like she had been slapped on the face. "I want to see that vase." I said, knowing what I would get as a reply.

"It's in our world." Krad said

"But we can go there." Lumi pointed out, looking desperately at Dark, "My parents wouldn't mind too terribly. I've always thought of moving out early." Lumi's parents were away so often sometimes, at least she said; they forgot they had a child. I didn't understand how this was possible, but then again…

Dark's face had been as shocked as Lumi's when he had heard what Daisuke said, and he seemed ready to agree with her, but then he looked over her shoulder at me, and his face fell.

"We can't." He said quietly, "Gray's parents would murder us."

"They'd murder me." Krad corrected, "They hate me, remember?"

"Well, we still can't go." Dark said, and then the phone rang.

"I'll get it." I said, slipping back into the kitchen. It was my mom.

"Hey mom."

"Gray, I need to speak to Dark."

Well, that was a shock. "What, no 'I'm sorry for hanging up on you?' And what happened to hello?"

"Gray, there isn't time. Have you watched the news?"

My stomach flipped. "No, but Lumi told me about the angels."

"Is she there? At the house?"

"Yeah."

"I need to speak to Dark now, Gray."

"Of course." I stepped into the living room and gave Dark the phone. He took it with a questioning glance.

"You saw it too?" Dark asked, and there was a garbled answer "Everywhere? You must be kidding." He stood there for about a minute, his eyes flicking from Lumi to me and back again. "I got us here; Krad has to take us back." He jerked the phone back from his ear, and looked at it like it was a snake. "I can't take us both ways, Pheo. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. Okay then, I'll tell them." He hung up, and said, "The video of Krad and Gray was posted on the internet; scientists are saying it's genuine. We have to go."

"When?" Lumi asked

"Tonight, if I can get a portal opened by then." Krad said, turning and heading up the stairs, "I'll need to be left alone, Dark." He called over his shoulder.

I watched him leave, thinking about what had just happened. We were going to a different world. I wondered what it would be like. "What's your world like?" I said out loud.

"Pretty much the same as this one." Satoshi said, "But more people know about Dark and Krad."

"And we can fly whenever we want," Dark said crossly, "Without being international news."

I sensed some sort of argument coming on, and even though I felt the same way as Dark, I didn't want to fight. "Lumi, are you still playing violin?"

Lumi raised her eyebrows, obviously seeing through my attempt to change the subject, but answered, "Yeah, have you found any new music?"

I should probably tell you about Lumi before I answer this. She is the best musician in the state, which she proved last year by becoming the first person to win Michigan's instrumental talent competition three years running, playing a different instrument each year. This year, she played, ironically, "Byakuya" on piano.

AN: I made the competition up, because I couldn't find a competition that fit the description.

"Well, there's one piece I liked…"

"My violin's a bit out of tune though, unless you have a tuner?"

I winced. I had accidentally stepped on our orchestral tuner last week. "No, sorry. How 'bout some karaoke then?" Karaoke was what Lumi and I called one of us singing while I played guitar. Not traditional karaoke, but close enough for us.

"Awesome! Meet you on the roof! C'mon Dark!" Lumi grabbed Dark's arm and dragged him up the stairs. She's actually really strong, despite her thin frame. Daisuke and Satoshi followed the two, and I flew up to my room to grab my guitar and looked around for the microphone for a moment, before I realized I had left it on the roof. I took one last look around the room, its mismatched blue and green walls, the caramel wood floor, the journals of every story idea I had ever had, the corner desk crammed with bits of paper and a few mechanical pencils without lead, sitting around my computer, where I had sat, sometimes for hours typing and researching, and all of which, in a few hours, I would be leaving. I shook the thoughts from my head, and flew up to the third floor, climbed the short ladder to the trapdoor, and opened it. I half expected the door to be blocked, but it opened easily enough.

"So, what exactly is up here?" Dark asked when he saw me

"Nothing but cement, most days." I said, swinging myself up onto the roof. "I've been meaning to talk my parents into starting a garden, but I keep forgetting."

"So you sing?" Daisuke asked, "You must be pretty good, it looks like half the neighborhood is out front."

I glared at Lumi, who cowered back. "Did you call out?" I asked her, "I mean, we're just doing this for fun, I thought. I haven't done a show since… maybe two months ago." I noticed the mike was already plugged into the amp, and quietly ran through the songs I could play, looking for something I could sing about Krad. Something you would have to squint to see though, I didn't need people asking if I had a boyfriend. Especially since the answer was still no. I finally settled for "Set Off" by Hey Monday. I would just tell anyone who asked that I felt this way. "Please tell me you play drums." I said to Lumi, who nodded eagerly. "Great, could you tell everyone we'll be a minute? Dark, Daisuke, Satoshi, can you help me with the drum set?"

The boys followed me back down to the third floor, and into a small soundproof room where I practiced guitar when the weather was bad. The room also held a drum set that took up about half of the space. I drummed my fingers on one of the snares, thinking. We should be able to bring everything through the trapdoor, except the bass. This would be a problem.

"Dark, how fast can you fly?" I asked

"You have got to be kidding." Dark said, catching onto my idea instantly, "You and Krad are all over the internet, the government is out looking for us, and you want me to fly to the roof with this thing?" He kicked the bass.

"Hey, be careful! It took me three days to figure out how to tune that thing! Besides, I bet you could land before anyone realized you had lifted off." I wasn't sure about that. The back of the house was in shadow though…

"Alright, fine." Dark said, holding up his hands in mock surrender, "How much rope do you have?"

I tossed him about six yards worth, which had been sitting here from bringing the bass up in the first place, and grabbed the snare and crash cymbal. "Daisuke, could you take the high-hat and the rack toms?" I asked, nodding towards the cymbal and the toms, "Thanks. Satoshi, if you'd take the floor tom and the ride cymbal… thank you." It felt so weird to be asking these boys (I never had been very social with guys) to help me get a drum set to the roof. Especially since they were from a different world.

"Gray, how should I tie this?" Dark asked

"I… The back of the house is shadowed," I told him, "You can just levitate it up, and fly after it."

"Why'd you give me the rope then?"

"You asked for it." I replied, picking up the snare and cymbal again, and walking out of the cramped space. I was more than a little claustrophobic. Satoshi and Daisuke followed me. We went back up to the roof, and set up the drums while we waited for Dark to come up with the bass.

"Where's Dark?" Lumi asked

"Floating the bass up here." I replied.

"WHAT?" She screamed, "Gray the whole world is out looking for us! Do you have any idea how risky that is?"

"Here I am!" Dark called, landing on the roof, with the bass floating behind him.

"Great, put the bass here." I said, gesturing with my foot. When it was in place and I had told Lumi about the first song, I threw my guitar over my shoulder, and walked over to the amp. Once I had everything set up, I stood and spoke into the microphone.

"Hey everyone," I said, "I just would like to tell you all that this is going to be my last 'concert' for a while. So some of the songs might have some meaning behind them this time." I listened to the applause, wondering how many of these people had heard about the angels, or seen the video of me and Krad flying.

"Our first song- oh yeah, I'd like to introduce my drummer and best friend, Candra!" I waved Lumi over to me, where she could be seen from the lawn. She gave a small wave, and slipped back to the drums. We had never done a show together, she must have been scared. I remembered my first show, only last year. I had been so scared, I couldn't see straight. But my fears had melted away with the first notes. I was sure Lumi would be fine. I warmed up quickly, a scale, a chord, and some random notes, and spoke into the mike again. "Anyway, our first song will be "Let the Flames Begin" by Paramore."

AN: I don't want any comments on my taste of music. Unless they're nice.

I started playing, remembering all the times Lumi and I had played this. We had both fallen in love with the song the second we had heard it, and started looking for sheet music. The intro began to close, and I leaned towards the microphone, memories banished. I took a deep breath, and began singing.

"What a shame we all became, such fragile, broken things, a memory remains, just a tiny spark. I give it all my oxygen, so let the flames begin, so let the flames begin, oh glory, oh glory…"

I could hear Lumi behind me; she hadn't missed a beat yet.

"This is how we'll dance when, when they try to take us down, this is what will be, oh glory… Somewhere weakness is our strength, and I'll die searching for it, I can't let myself regret, such selfishness. My pain and all the trouble caused, no matter how long, I believe that there's hope, buried beneath it all and, hiding beneath it all and, growing beneath it all and, this is how we'll dance when, when they try to take us down, this is how we'll sing, oh, this is how we'll stand when, when they burn our houses down, this is what will be, oh glory. Reaching as I sink down into light… Reaching as I sink down into light… This is how we'll dance when, when they try to take us down, this is how we'll sing, oh, this is how we'll stand when, when they burn our houses down, this is what will be, oh glory." I played the ending notes, and took a bow. I looked back at Lumi and mouthed "That was great!" Then looked over to the boys. They were applauding as enthusiastically and silently as possible, which was a lot harder, Daisuke told me later, than it looked. I walked over to Lumi, and asked her if she'd like to sing anything.

"Gray, you know I can't sing nearly as well as you." She replied nervously, rubbing the writing on her arm.

"Oh come on Lumi." Dark said, "Please? I'd love to hear you sing."

"Oh fine." Lumi grumbled, "But what songs do I know that don't have any drums? Sorry Gray, but not even you can play both of them at the same time, and I can't play and sing."

"Drive Away." I said immediately, "It sounds fine without the drums."

"Do you know how to play it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay… I'll try." Lumi walked up to the mike with me, and I introduced her again to the crowd. I took a few steps back, and strummed the opening to the song. As Lumi began to sing, I looked back at Dark. "This is for you, I think." I mouthed, then turned and continued playing. I put all of my concentration into those six strings, determined to be perfect for Lumi's sake. Slowly, the song closed, and she took a bow and slipped back to drum set, trembling visibly.

"That… that was so…"

"Awesome!" Dark said, coming up and hugging her from behind, "You two are a regular two person band, you are."

"Thanks Dark," Lumi said, "But don't expect me to go back up there."

"Lumi, I think one more should do it," I said, "You did awesome up there, by the way. I should have you sing more often."

"Ha ha. You know I only did that for you all." Lumi said, gesturing around her at the boys and me.

Dark winced slightly, and then muttered, "Krad just started to work on getting us a portal home… I think he's going to be really weak for a few days afterward…"

"You guys can go in if you want, the weathers acting weird…" I said, noticing that storm clouds were gathering on the horizon.

"Nah, that's just cause of Krad." Dark replied airily, although his voice wasn't much more than a whisper. I wondered how Krad would be faring. I hoped he was okay.

"Yeah," Daisuke said, "I'd like to hear you sing more."

"Well, I have something to sing for those two angels that were sighted." I smiled and walked over to the microphone. "Hey, we've got one more song for all of you, before we head back. How many of you have heard of those supposed angels?" I saw every hand in the audience go up, and shivered, "How many of you think the tape's a hoax?" No hands. Apparently, people had believed whoever authenticated the video. "Well, I think it's for real, too, but how many of you think it's wrong that they're being hunted down?" A few hands went up, but over half kept them down, and I felt downright sick. "Well, I'm with those who are against them being tracked. I bet they want to be left alone, and this next song is for them, whoever they are. Set Off." I looked back at Lumi, who nodded, and we started up the song. I saw images of Krad flashing through my mind as I played, and the artwork he and Dark had originated from. Violet blurred my vision, and then, blood red. I saw Dark trying to fight off Krad, who seemed to be winning, and then… I threw all of my concentration into the strings, getting rid of the images in my head. I had to see that vase. The song ended, and I took a bow.

"Thanks for coming, and try to get home before the weather hits!" I said, pulling back and bringing the microphone with me; glancing over at Lumi, Daisuke, and Satoshi, I saw them gathered around Dark, who was curled in a ball on the ground. I ran over to them, my guitar beating a steady tattoo on my wings, still hidden under my cloak.

"It happened to Krad too," Satoshi was saying, "When Dark opened the portal here. He has to keep working on the portal, and he's siphoning the weakness off to Dark."

"How does he do that?" I asked, kneeling down next to Lumi, "Is it the Rutile?"

"Good observation." Satoshi said, "Yes it is."

"Why is he doing this though?" Lumi asked, brushing a violet lock away from Dark's pale face, "Krad that is."

"Well, he has to, to get you two back with us." Satoshi explained, "If he didn't use the Rutile, he wouldn't be able to even start."

"Was Krad really this bad when Dark took us here?" Daisuke asked

"I don't know." Satoshi said, "Krad's too pale to know really if he lost color, but his reaction was pretty similar. Can you hear us Dark?"

"Yeah." Dark whispered, barely audible; his normally tanned face ashen and his violet eyes dim.

"How're we gonna get him back down?" Lumi asked, glancing at the trapdoor, which was barely big enough for a person to begin with.

"I… can… walk…" Dark muttered

"Don't try it." I advised the thief, "We'll think of something." But Lumi was already helping him up, ignoring my words. Dark threw an arm around her shoulder, and they started walking over to the trapdoor. Daisuke ducked under Dark's other arm, and I grabbed my guitar and ran to open the trapdoor.

"You guys, I can walk." Dark protested weakly

"No, you can't." Lumi told him, "And you shouldn't try."

"She's right, you really don't look good." Daisuke said

"He's working himself too hard…" Dark said, "I can't… no." he shook his head, and continued limping towards the door, "I have to… dammit Krad, stop…"

"Give me the Rutile." I said, knowing that I had just gone insane

"Gray… it will… kill you…" Dark whispered

"I'm eternal, remember?" I was scared of what would happen if Dark gave me the Rutile, but I couldn't watch him suffer. I didn't hate him _that _much. Actually, I didn't hate him at all; I just really didn't like him.

"I couldn't. Krad would…" We had reached the trapdoor.

"Just give it to me while you climb down." I pleaded "I'll be fine… I think."

"I'm not… going to risk… your safety… now how… do I get down?"

"Jump?" Satoshi suggested, walking up behind us.

"As you…wish…commander!" Dark said, apparently not letting a little suffering come between his rivalries with Satoshi. He gave a quick salute, and jumped clumsily through the trapdoor. There was a loud thud, followed by a quiet, "Oww…"

"I wasn't serious!" Satoshi called, as Lumi and Daisuke glared at him.

"I'm… okay?" Dark said, and Lumi went down the ladder to see if he was telling the truth, with Daisuke and Satoshi following her. I took one last look around the roof, and saw a single black feather, and Wiz.

"Hey, I didn't see you there!" I told the little rabbit thing, going over to him and picking him up.

"Kyuu… Kyuu, kyuu, kyu."

"I know what you mean. I've always been overlooked. Don't worry, I won't do it again." I was just guessing at what he was telling me, but he rubbed his head against my cheek. Apparently I could understand Wiz speak. I scratched his head, and set him down. "C'mon Wiz, we'd better go make sure Dark's okay." I picked up the feather, and studied it. It was like a crow's feather, but neater. I couldn't risk it being found, so I brought it in with me. Closing the trapdoor after Wiz, I bolted it for the night. With the weather that was coming, I doubted anyone would want to be out there.

"I think he's okay." I heard Satoshi saying from one of the guest rooms. I wondered briefly how they had gotten in, (the doors were kept locked except when company was over) but then remembered Daisuke's training. The lock had probably been nothing for him to get past. I walked over, knocked, and entered. Dark was lying on the guest bed, and apparently no one knew what to do to help make him comfortable. I heard thunder in the distance.

"Lumi…?" I asked, "Is he okay?"

"He doesn't look to good, but he keeps insisting he's fine." She answered, looking concerned.

"Typical Dark," Daisuke said, "Thinking he's invincible." Wiz hopped up to Dark's face and "Kyuued" worriedly.

"Ky-kyuu?"

"I don't think that would work." Dark whispered to his familiar, "I don't think she'd have magic before she got her wings."

I glanced at Lumi, who was rubbing the writing on her arm again, muttering under her breath; then at Daisuke, who was staring at Wiz, who was still "Kyuu"-ing worriedly at Dark.

"This happened to Krad?" I asked Satoshi, walking over to him, "Why didn't Dark open this 'portal' both ways?"

"He's still weak from getting us here. We didn't expect to be leaving so soon, and I think this is taking a greater toll on him because of that." Satoshi said, his cold blue eyes wandering, "He's strange, Krad. Doesn't know what he's doing half the time, when he does, he doesn't understand why. Dangerous combination…" I didn't understand why he was telling me this, and he seemed to sense this. He pushed his glasses further up his nose, and continued, "I thought you might want to know, being his Sacred Maiden." There was another thunderclap, and the lights flickered.

"Did this happen the first time?" I asked, looking around.

"No," Daisuke answered before Satoshi had opened his mouth, "It didn't, and it's not right. Something's interfering."

"Kyuu!" Wiz agreed, and a question flitted through my mind.

"Where's Ryoushi?" I asked; fear running through my veins like ice.

Satoshi and Daisuke both paled. Krad's words ran through my head, _"If they get their hands on any of us, any single one of us, even Ryoushi or Wiz, it will be over! We will be found out!" _

"No," I said, "Oh no… no, no, no!" I walked out of the room, punching the doorframe as I went. To my surprise, the wood splintered, but I didn't stop. Everything looked like a bright light was shining on it, my eyes had changed again. I kept walking, knowing exactly where I was going. If the dog was anywhere in the house, I would find him. I took off my cloak, and threw it over my shoulder. There was an energy coursing through my veins now, and I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I glanced down, and saw a wolf loping beside me.

"Hello Fenga." I told the wolf. She hadn't surprised me in the least; in fact, it felt as though I had been expecting her. "Help me find Ryoushi." Fenga growled low from the back of her throat, which I took to mean yes, then tore off, nose in the air. I continued towards the stairs. I was going towards my father's study. It felt as though I was being drawn to it, and I was certain it was where Krad would be opening the portal. Thunder crashed, and the lights flickered again, then, they went out. I was at the door to the study. I knocked. It started to rain.

Well, there's chapter six. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please review. If you didn't, please review anyway.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

I don't own DN Angel. There, I said it.

Candra's POV

"Whoa, how'd she do that?" Daisuke asked, examining the splintered wood with awe. I was thinking the same thing. There was no way Gray could've splintered a doorframe like that, it just wasn't possible.

"I believe she is realizing herself." Satoshi said, "Gray is what Argentine has always wanted to become, Kokuyoku. She has two halves to her soul, and today, she will decide which one is dominant."

"Wait," I said, "She's Krad's Sacred Maiden, isn't she? Doesn't that mean the part of her soul that's more like Krad will be dominant?"

"Not necessarily," Satoshi replied, "At least, I don't think so. Krad has never found a Sacred Maiden before." There was a huge thunderclap, a blinding flash, and the lights went out.

"You have got to be kidding." I muttered, flicking the light switch, "I suppose something's really wrong, am I right?"

"Unfortunately, you are." Dark's faint voice was barely audible, but carried a distinctly worried tone.

"It must be something big, whatever it is…" Daisuke's eyes glimmered in the almost nonexistent light. I could hear rain lashing against the window, and I stretched out a hand and felt my way over to it, and pulled up the blinds, anything for a bit of light.

"So," I said, "What could be powerful enough to mess up Krad's magic?"

"Another angel," Satoshi said immediately, "But it can't be, seeing as all magical beings are in this house, providing Ryoushi hasn't left, or an artwork…"

"Gray's necklace?" I asked

"Maybe, but I doubt it." My eyes had adjusted to the semi-darkness by now, and I could make out silhouettes and eyes, and Satoshi's drawn, tense face. He seemed puzzled about something.

"Maybe I should go get some flashlights?" Daisuke asked, as another bolt of lightning ripped the sky apart.

"Would you know where they were?" I asked

"If you told me." Daisuke said seriously

"Yes, but I don't know." I replied dryly

"Oh." Thunder shook the house, and Wiz jumped off of the bed and ran underneath it.

"So bring on the rain…" I muttered, "What else could be doing this?"

"I… I don't know." Satoshi said, "It feels wrong…"

"Huh?"

"It doesn't feel right when I think about what could be doing this. I instantly think of another angel, or an artwork, but there's something else…"

"I think you mean Krad's stopping himself." I glanced over at Daisuke, to make sure it was him talking.

"What makes you say that?" I asked him

"I don't know, it was just a thought." Daisuke replied quickly.

"Right," I said, curling a strand of hair around my finger, "It makes sense though. I mean, he obviously isn't on very friendly terms with Pheo…" (I always called Gray's mom Pheo, she hated being called Mrs. Valo)

"Good point, but he still likes Gray," Satoshi said, "I bet he'd have eventually started trying to get us all back even if he hadn't been asked to."

We all stood there in silence, listening to the rain. Dark muttered something, and Wiz's red eyes glinted as he poked his head out from underneath the bed and ran over to me. "Kyuu! K- Kyuu-yuu!"

"What is it Wiz?" The little rabbit familiar repeated what he had just said, and this time, I understood it.

_Ryoushi's not in the house!_

"What?" I asked, "How do you know that?"

"Kyuuuu ky-yuu, kyuu!" _I felt his presence leave! _

"Dark, did you hear that?" There was no reply, and making my way over to where he was, I saw he'd lost consciousness. "Okay, never mind; Wiz, do you know where Ryoushi is?"

"Kyu. Kyuu, kyuu-yuu!" _Yes. He's at the park!_

"Thanks Wiz!" I said, heading towards the door.

"Candra, you aren't going out in this?" Daisuke asked, concerned

"Why yes, I am." I replied, taking out my earrings, and pulling off a few bangles. I didn't really feel like wearing metal outside, even though lightening normally struck much higher objects.

"There's no way." Dark whispered, seemingly still unconscious.

"I have to." I replied, "If someone finds Ryoushi first, it's over."

"Take Wiz."

"Okay. Thanks." I slipped out of the room, Wiz behind me. I realized he wouldn't be able to keep up with me, so I picked him up and carried him. "Hope this is okay." I whispered to him, scratching his ears.

"Kyuu!" _Yup!_

I walked down the hallway, jumping at the smallest of noises. It seemed as though the house was deserted, ancient and forgotten, even though I knew five other people were here. I came to the stairs, and ran down to the second floor. As I reached the bottom steps, something black shot past me, and I screamed. It had looked like a wolf!

"Kyuu! Kyuu! Ky-yuu-yuu!" _Follow her! Hurry! She's tracking Ryoushi!_

"Is she…?"

"Kyuu, kyu-kyuu." _Gray's familiar. _I ran after the wolf, following it downstairs, where it started attacking the front door.

"Is it safe to try to open the door?" I asked Wiz, who gave a quick "Kyu," as a yes.

"I can open that for you." I offered the wolf, which backed away from the door and growled, curling her tail against one of her hind legs, put her ears against her head, and dropped it, keeping it in a position where I was sure she could still see me.

"Ky-kyuu, kyuuie." S_he says thank you, my name is Fenga._

"No problem Fenga." I replied, "You're looking for Ryoushi as well?"

A growl and a quick yap. "Kyuu kyuu-uu kyuu." _My mistress has asked me to do such._

"Can we follow you?"

"Ger-roo-ruf!" Fenga barked, and ran off.

"Kyuu! Kyuu, kyuu, kyuu!" S_he says yes! Now hurry, follow her! _With Wiz in my arms, I ran off after the black wolf, into the downpour.

After about twenty minutes of running, Fenga got us to the park. I was soaked to the bone, shivering, scared, and out of breath, but I could hear a sort of soft cry that must have been Ryoushi. Fenga gave an answering bark, and trotted off into the storm. I lost sight of her after she had taken only a few steps, but just then, a lightning bolt lit the sky, and I saw her silhouette, which I quickly ran after. I walked behind the wolf for another five minutes before we came to a bench, under which sat a cowering Ryoushi.

"Hey Ryoushi," I said gently, "You gave us quite a scare running off. Let's get you home, okay?"

A whimper greeted my words, and I turned to Fenga, whose tongue was lolling out of her mouth, to help.

"I don't think he understands me." I told her, "Can you tell him what I said?"

The wolf nodded her head, and relayed what I had said to Ryoushi in a series of barks, growls whines, and movements of her ears and tail. Ryoushi stood up, and stepped out from under the bench. Fenga led us back to the house without incident, and we were soon all back in the third story guest room. Fenga was an unexpected surprise.

"What the-!" Daisuke yelled, jumping back, and Satoshi did the same.

"Don't worry, she's nice." I assured them, giving Fenga a pat on the head, "She's Gray's familiar. Oh, and she led us to Ryoushi." I pointed toward the dripping wet dog, standing slightly behind me.

"You said Gray's familiar?" Satoshi said, as Ryoushi shook himself dry.

"Y-Yeah." I said, just now realizing how cold I was

"You must be freezing, here!" Daisuke said; handing me a blanket he'd grabbed from the closet. I wrapped it around my shoulders thankfully.

"Thanks." I said, "Is Dark any better?" It was getting towards nightfall, when Krad had said he would have a portal open, and I thought maybe Dark would be a little better.

"He's awake, and his voice is getting stronger, but-"

"I'm fine." Dark said, and I could see his violet eyes once again held their handsome sparkle. "Gray must be helping Krad, 'cause the portals not open yet. Almost is though, so if you want to bring anything with you… better grab it." I had nothing I wanted to bring; besides, all of my stuff was at home.

"Gray's guitar. She's probably going to want it." It sat by the door, only a few inches under the splintered wood. I grabbed it and threw it over my shoulder, adjusting the shoulder pad so the strap didn't cut into my neck. "Should we go…?"

"I think it would be better if we waited." Dark replied, "If we interrupted this, well, let's just say we might as well hand ourselves over to your government. I'll tell you when we should go." So we stood there, waiting, and listening to the rain.

Gray's POV

I knocked on the door.

_Enter._ The voice was Krad's, but it sounded… different. I opened the door, and saw the angel sitting slumped over in my father's chair, a single white feather held between his fingers. He was chanting something under his breath, and something golden and swirling was being projected on the far wall. The portal.

"Krad?"

_Yes?_

"Are you… okay?"

_No._

"Can I help you?"

_No._

"Krad, please let me help you."

_No. I won't put you in danger._

"How would I be in danger?"

_This feels like something is draining your soul. You shouldn't have to know what that feels like. It…_ Krad gritted his teeth, his eyes were glazed over. _It does drain a part of your soul. I don't want that to happen to you._

"I don't want it to happen to you either." I told him, "Let me help you."

_I can tell you won't give up. Stand behind me and put your hands on my shoulders._

I realized suddenly that Krad was thinking these things; that he was communicating telepathically. I did as he said, placing my hands on his shoulders, and he was right. It felt like something was sucking my soul from my body. I wanted to scream, to pull away, to do anything, but I couldn't move. I was terrified.

_It's fine Gray. _Krad's voice rang out strong in my head. _You're fine. Just relax, and let your magic flow through me._

I relaxed, and I tried to call on my magic, but it wouldn't come. I tried to say something about this, but I couldn't speak. I tried thinking. _Krad, I can't use my magic._

_ You aren't well trained. Let's see if this works. _It felt like something was shooting up my arms, and my hands began to glow white. The white began to darken, until it was the same gray that I had conjured around my fist yesterday. I felt weak, weaker than I had ever been in my life, weaker even than I had felt when I first got my wings, but it felt like I was doing something right. The gray light shot through Krad's body, and he gasped and sat up._ You are powerful. Very powerful._ The feather in his hands glowed white hot, and the portal swirled faster.

_Good. I'm happy to help._

_ You will be weak for a few days after this._ Krad warned. _You still aren't used to using magic._

_ I don't care. _I thought, even though I already felt exhausted. _As long as it helps you._

_ You are brave. I can feel you weakening; I will try not to ask too much of you._

_ Thank you. _I was already almost unable to stand; I was using Krad for support. My breath was shaky, and my vision blurred, but I felt alive. It was magic, it had to be.

_Almost there... _Krad thought. And just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Krad, is it time?" The voice was Dark's, which made me feel a tiny bit of hope. The portal must be almost open. Krad muttered a few more words, which I thought might have been German, and jerked his arm up. The feather stopped glowing instantly, and Krad slumped forward, unconscious.

I could barely keep myself standing, but I shakily called, "Yeah, come in."

Dark, Lumi, Daisuke, and Satoshi entered slowly, followed by Wiz, Ryoushi and Fenga. Lumi rushed over to me, with my guitar on her back. "Are you okay?"

"No, but Krad's worse." I whispered, "Thanks for bringing my guitar."

"Hey, we need to go." Dark said. Satoshi, Daisuke, Wiz and Ryoushi were already gone; I guessed they'd already left.

"Oh, yeah, alright." Lumi walked hesitantly towards the portal, then looked back at me and Krad.

"Don't worry, I'll help Krad through." Dark said, "Lumi, go. Gray, apparently Fenga isn't going through without you. Oh, and you can get a pretty decent cell phone reception over there, so you can call your parents…" He shook his head. "I'm rambling. Lumi, go ahead, Gray, you go after her." He walked over to Krad and helped him up, he was still just barely conscious.

I watched Lumi step through the portal, and disappear in a flash of light. "Come, Fenga. Oh, and Dark?"

"Yes?"

"You and Krad seem a bit more… mellow. Is that going to change?"

"Probably."

"That's something to look forward to, at least." I smiled, and walked shakily over to the golden portal. I stepped through it, Fenga at my side. My last view of my home was Krad throwing an arm around Dark's shoulder. Then, everything was a blinding white.

AN: Well, that was a bit shorter than usual, but this is where it gets interesting. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Disclaimer: If I don't own DN Angel. If only… Oh, and this chapter is a bit darker than the others, and the story will probably stay that way. I don't know if Argentine is OOC here, if you could please tell me, I'd be grateful.

Warning: Just thought I should warn you, this chapter is a bit gory towards the end. I'm a little morbid sometimes.

"She's been out for days."

"This isn't normal…"

"Is it because she looks different?"

"No, I look different, and I was perfectly fine when I came through."

"Here Emiko, let me try this…"

"Stay away from her, Mousy!"

"Protective, are you?"

"Yes, I am."

This is what I woke to. I slowly opened my eyes, to see Towa, Emiko, Krad, Dark, Lumi, Daisuke, and Satoshi sitting around a bed in an unfamiliar room. "Where… where am I?"

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Emiko said, "You passed out right after you came through the portal, we were worried sick!"

"You're in our world." Krad added, "You may want to look at your reflection. Your appearance has… changed."

I sat bolt upright, blinking the stars away from my eyes. The first thing I noticed was the whip looped around my waist like a belt. It was black leather, with a silver popper. I was still wearing the same outfit. A strand of silvery hair floated in front of my eyes, and I tucked it behind my ear. Then I realized what I'd just done. I jumped up, wincing as my feet hit the floor. I saw a mirror a few feet away from me, propped on top of a dresser, and I walked over to it. "Oh…" My hair was the color of a moonbeam, and dragged behind me as I walked. I realized I didn't have my cloak. My skin was pale and flawless, my fingers long and tapering. I was wearing black fingerless gloves, which went about halfway up my arms, and my nails were painted to match my wings. Then I came to the mirror. "My eyes…" They were bright stunning silver, ringed with a thin strip of gold.

"I thought I'd changed!" Lumi said, and I turned to her. Her hair was black, wavy and waist length. Her skin, too, was flawless, but tan. Her eyes had stayed the same pale violet, and she still didn't have her wings. I didn't know how I'd not noticed before.

"You have!" I told her

"Not nearly as much as you." She replied

My guitar was propped up against the dresser, and I ran my fingers over the strings, coaxing a light wave of noise. Fenga trotted up to me, her eyes wide, her jaws parted in a wolfish smile. "Hey Fenga." I said, kneeling down and scratching her ears.

"She gave us all quite a scare." Towa said, "You don't normally see wolves around here."

"Great, another way for me to stand out…" I said

"Umm, well, Gray, Argentine's working on restoring the vase." Lumi said, "He came in about an hour before you came to, saying he was almost-" A loud crash interrupted her.

"If he broke that thing," Dark muttered, standing up, "So help me I'll…" I couldn't hear the rest, but I guessed it was mainly threats. He walked out the room.

"He's been like that since we got here." Emiko explained sadly, "I suppose it's because of the constant changing of worlds."

"He'll re-adjust." Daisuke said, glancing over at the door, "Besides, he's probably afraid of what might happen to Lumi."

"Finally!" Lumi said, "After four days, I finally got you to call me Lumi!" She hugged him, and he blushed.

"And if you try to call me Ms. Valo, I will never speak to you again." I said, "But you already know that."

"You girls can both just call me Emiko." Emiko said, "Please."

Dark walked back into the room, looking relieved. "Here, it's done." He handed Krad a small vase, with a painting of a dragon wrapping around it. Also curling around the vase was a writing I didn't recognize. "I can't read it."

"Or maybe you just can't read." Krad said. I laughed. "Unfortunately, this isn't any language I know either."

"Here, let me see it." Emiko said, and Krad passed her the vase. "I've studied a lot of languages, ones you've probably never heard of. It says… wow, this is small text. Okay, I found the title. Argentine did a good job with this. Okay, the title is "The Legend of the Dragon." That explains the guardian. Doesn't seem to have much to do with the actual legend though. Well, here you are.

"In the distant future, when maidens dress as men," She glanced over at me, and continued reading, "The gray wings shall be born. She will be the third half of Kokuyoku, taming the white wings as her own. Violet wings, born at the same time, will be the maiden of the black wings. The gray wings, who is The Eternal Maiden, and violet wings will be found in a distant world, where the angels and their tamers will be called to. It is a cold, hostile world, that doesn't believe in what it doesn't understand. The white and black wings will find their third half the day of her fifteenth summer, when she gains her wings."

I looked at my reflection again, and found to my surprise I couldn't hold my own gaze. I looked over to Krad, who gazed back for only a few seconds.

"The gray wings will discover herself as white wings opens a portal, and her familiar will be a wolf. She will prove herself as powerful by aiding in opening the portal back to the world Kokuyoku originated from. As gray wings and violet wings adjust to their new home, they will end up in the middle of an age old… war…

"I can't read anything else!" Emiko cried with frustration, "Krad, go get Argentine for me, would you?"

"Of course. Would you prefer he be alive?" Krad wasn't joking; I could see it in his eyes.

"Krad, if you kill the butler." Dark said, "I will make sure you never enter this house again. Towa couldn't cook to save her life. No offense, Towa-chan." Towa looked pretty offended, but Dark didn't seem to notice.

"I'll come with you." I said, stepping away from the dresser, which I had been leaning on.

"I suppose."

I followed the white angel out of the room, and caught up with him. "Krad?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you look away from me?"

"I don't know. I have never seen eyes like yours." We turned and went down a flight of stairs. I was feeling a lot better now that I was moving, working the stiffness from my joints. My eyes were worrying me, but I didn't mind too much. We came to the living room, and took a left, and went down another flight of stairs. Argentine ran into Krad when we were about halfway down.

"Go- back!" He gasped, "Start a- sealing chant- I made a terri- a terrible mistake, the- the seals breaking- run!"

"Gray," Krad said calmly, "Please tell me you can run."

"A bit." I answered

"Go get everyone downstairs, and tell Dark to start a sealing chant. Tell him I will be there shortly, to help."

"Be safe." I told him, and ran. I went back up the stairs, back to the room I had woken up in, and into it. "The seal-" I said, trying to catch my breath. That one short dash had exhausted me, and I guessed it would be a few days until I was back to myself. "The seal's breaking. Krad asked me to tell you all to go downstairs. Dark, he asked for you to start a sealing chant. He said he'd be here shortly." Everyone stared at me.

"Please, please, please tell me you're kidding." Dark said, "The last time I fought that thing it almost ate me!"

"I've heard." I said, "Where's the vase?" I looked around and saw it lying on the floor, a few feet away from Emiko. There was a thin crack running down the side, and I thought I saw it twitch.

"Dark," Lumi said, "What exactly does the guardian look like?"

"It's a huge dragon. You should go with Gray."

"Yes, I will, but what does it look like?"

"It's black, with spines running down its back, and it's serpentine." Dark replied, "That's about all I remember from last time I fought it. I have to start a sealing chant now, you'd all better go." A black feather appeared in his hands, and he started to chant in a language I didn't know. The feather began to glow purple, and a thought came to my mind. _GO!_

"C'mon." I said, and the vase shuddered. The crack lengthened until it reached from the top almost to the bottom. I was reminded of an egg hatching. "We should go."

"Yes, come on!" Towa changed into her bird form, and started battering my head with her wings. Emiko stood and ushered Daisuke and Satoshi out of the room, while Fenga trotted over to me and barked.

_I want to fight._

"No, I need you to come with us." I told her, "For our protection." This was mostly true, but I also wanted to keep my familiar safe.

"Gurrr…" _Aww…_

"Come on." The vase shuddered and split. Dark was still chanting as we ran out of the room, and as we ran to the basement, I saw Krad and Argentine out of the corner of my eye, heading upstairs.

"Will they have to destroy it?" I asked Emiko as we ran down one of the passages, Towa in the lead.

"Oh, I hope not!" Emiko replied, "But I suppose if there isn't any other way…"

There was a loud roar, and a yell that sounded tiny in comparison. It felt like my arm was on fire, and I saw the room we had just come from. I was beating out a fire on my sleeve, and trying to keep a huge mass of black scales busy while Dark sealed it. I was seeing out of Krad's eyes! I could hear Dark yelling, "We have to break the vase!"

"No you baka!" I screamed, "We need to see that legend!"

But I watched as Dark broke the chant, which had almost entirely stilled the dragon, and lunge for the vase, just as the dragon lunged at me.

I snapped back into reality, and felt a searing pain, a pain so terrible I felt as though I wouldn't live another second. But I could see where I was, and I ran back to the stairs, heedless of the cries for me to stop. Satoshi, when I looked back, seemed to have just experienced what I had been through, and was telling the others something. I ran up the stairs, and jumped as soon as I was in the open, flying up to the second floor. I heard nothing as I approached the door to the room where Krad and Dark were, and fear consumed me. Krad was fine. He had to be. I reached for the whip looped around my waist, and uncoiled it. It was about ten feet long, and the grip seemed to adjust to my hand. With a sick twist in my stomach, I saw that the popper was made of a darkish silvery metal, cut into thin strands. This was a fighting weapon. Hesitantly I reached for the door, and opened it.

The dragon was gone, Dark was unconscious, and Krad… "Krad!" The golden angel was slumped against the far wall, one of his wings smoldering gently. His face was cut up, his hair singed, and his eyes were barely open and unfocused. There was a large gash across his chest, and it looked like he had lost a lot of blood already.

"Gray?" He whispered.

"What… what happened to you?"

"I'll… tell you… later… I see you have your whip."

"Yes."

"Could you go kill Dark?" With this, he passed out.

"Sorry." I whispered, "But I don't think I'm going to end up like my mom." After smothering the small blaze on his wing, I looked around to see if Dark had truly destroyed the vase, and sure enough, there was a small pile of dust in the middle of the floor. I didn't think Argentine would be able to repair it this time. Wait, hadn't Argentine come up here as well?

"Ah, you finally remember." Argentine's voice came from behind the door, which he closed. It shut with an ominous click, and I knew it was lock from both the inside and outside. "Now, I have a few questions for you."

"You seem to have forgotten who I am." I snapped, knowing I was in no condition, still, to fight.

"Oh, no. Not at all. I know exactly who you are, Kokuyoku."

I stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Tell me how you became Kokuyoku." He said, unveiled threat in his voice, "Or I will kill the white wings."

My vision brightened, and I guessed my pupils were now vertical. I felt a rage overcoming me. "Try it and I'll kill _you._" I spat, cracking the whip. A spark of gray light traveled along it, and when it reached the end, shot straight at Argentine's face. He blocked the weak spark easily though, and advanced.

"For some reason, I doubt that." He said with an innocent look on his face. "After all, you won't kill that meddlesome thief."

"That's because Dark's life means something!" I screamed, amazed that the words were coming from my mouth. I didn't think too highly of thieves, most days.

"I see." Argentine said, "But you still haven't answered my question. _How did you become Kokuyoku?" _ He raised a hand, and the sword Krad had shown me flew into his hands. With a nimble dash, he slipped past me, and put the sword to Krad's throat. "You _will_ tell me, if you want him to live."

I was shaking. I was still too weak to fight, but I didn't know the answer to the artworks question either. Stalling for time, I quickly said, "Give me a moment. To… collect my thoughts."

"Your excuse is pathetic," Argentine said, pressing the blade harder against Krad's throat. I saw blood beading around the sword, and I could barely suppress a whimper. "However, I feel that you can tell me what I need to know, so I will give you a bit of time."

"All I know is that I got my wings the same day I got this." I said after a minute, showing him the necklace. "I don't know anything about Kokuyoku."

"If you would please give that to me…" Argentine said, holding out one hand, while cutting deeper in to Krad's throat with the other. The angel was still unconscious as blood ran unchecked down his neck.

I reached up to unclasp the necklace, a little hesitantly, but when I tried to undo the clasp, it wouldn't open! "It- it won't come off…" I whispered.

"Well, that isn't good for Krad, is it?" Argentine asked. He moved the sword, and almost delicately traced one of the veins on Krad's neck with the point of it.

"That's ENOUGH!" I screamed, and cracked the whip again, wrapping it around the sword and ripping it out of Argentine's hands. I caught it as it went past me, and pointed it at Argentine.

"You will go open the door." I said, "And then you will go get Emiko."

"And if I refuse?" he asked.

I stared at him, amazed he had the nerve to ask me this. "If you refuse, it will be you who dies." I said coldly.

"I do not believe you have it in you to take a life."

"Do you want me to prove it to you?" I said, stepping closer to him and raising the sword. "Go. Get. Emiko."

"As you wish." Argentine said as the sword point touched his throat. He opened the door, but it wasn't necessary for him to get Emiko. She was already there.

"Dark!" she cried, rushing over to the unconscious figure.

"Emiko, you are needed over here." I said, "Krad… Krad won't… live much longer without some sort of treatment, and, if I remember correctly, if Krad… dies, Dark will cease to exist." I was kneeling by him, tearing a bit of singed cloth away from his sleeve and pressing it against the cut on his neck. Emiko came over and looked at him, but didn't seem to want to come too close. "You have to help him." I said, my vision returning to normal, and tears coming to my eyes, "You have to."

"Gray, I don't know what I can do for him. I know for a fact he cursed that sword so that the wounds sustained cannot be healed with magic." Emiko shook her head, "Magic is supposed to make the injuries worse."

Krad stirred, coming to. He opened his mouth, and spat out a mouthful of blood. "Krad, oh…" Rage again swelled inside me. "Where's Argentine?"

"No…" Krad rasped, "Don't…"

"Can I heal you?" I asked

"N-no…" Krad coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Gray, this wound is deep. I don't know… I can treat the burns and smaller cuts, and even the one on his chest, but I truly don't know what I can do for the sword wound."

I stood up quickly, and stepped over to the bed, which had miraculously survived destruction. "How much do the sheets mean to you?" I asked.

"Not much." Emiko said, "Why?"

I pulled them off of the bed, and started cutting them with my mom's sword. "We should staunch the bleeding." I replied. I came back over to Krad and started wrapping the sheet around his neck. "Could you move his hair?" I was amazed that his long ponytail wasn't singed. Emiko gently shifted his hair out of the way, as though he would bite her if he knew she was there. The white cloth was instantly stained scarlet. I knotted the sheet so it was snug, and went to go cut another piece.

As I wrapped it around Krad's neck, Emiko asked, "Why him?"

"Why not him?" I answered.

"He's… well, he's psychotic." Emiko answered.

"He's misunderstood." I said calmly, knotting the sheet, and looking at it, "I think that's good, don't you?"

"I suppose." Emiko said, "I'd better go see to Dark." With that, she left me alone with Krad.

"Why do they not understand?" I asked him quietly, "Why do they not understand you've changed?"

"Humans have… no sight." He replied, "Their eyes only show them what they wish to see, and I… I am not… human. They shun me. That is why I hate their eyes. They don't see as mine do."

"Krad, you shouldn't speak." I said

"Well, you asked…"

"I thought you were unconscious!"

"Oh." Krad gave me a weak smile, and I gave him the sword. "No Gray, this… is yours." He tried to give it back, but I gently shoved the hilt back into his hands.

"I don't want it." I told him, "It has killed, it almost killed you. You should keep it. Please." I didn't want that sword. It reeked of death and betrayal. My mom's betrayal to Krad. I hated it; I didn't want to be near it. I hoped Krad understood.

"If… if you insist." He murmured, "Thanks for saving me. For who I am, not because I am Dark."

"You're welcome." I told him, brushing the long strand of hair he always wore in front of his face away from his eyes. "You should probably rest."

"Yes…" He whispered, and closed his eyes.

I realized I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't do anything about them. I wanted to curl up in some faraway corner and make myself forget what I had just seen, what I had just heard. "I'm going to go find Satoshi." I whispered to Krad, even though I knew he couldn't hear me, "I need to know about Kokuyoku." I stood up, and regretfully walked away from him. He would be fine. He had to be.

AN: Tadaa! Don't worry about Krad; I don't have the heart to kill him… yet. Just kidding, just kidding, fellow Krad fans. Please R&R! Pretty please?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. Just in case you thought I did, I don't.

"Satoshi?" I called down the dark, dank passages. I was lost, there was no doubt about it, and I was terrified of running into Argentine. My wings were wrapped tight around my shoulders, but I was still shaking, though whether it was from fear or cold, I didn't know. I had tried calling for Fenga, but she'd never come. I didn't know how long I'd been down here, it could have been anywhere from an hour to a day. I was tired, but I guessed I was in a different time zone, so I didn't really use that for a measure. "Daisuke? Emiko? Towa?" I whispered, my voice echoing eerily. My feet were freezing, (I didn't have my shoes) and more than anything, I wanted to stop. "Ryoushi? Fenga?" I heard a soft clip, clip, of nails on the floor, and my hopes lifted. I ran towards the sound, sure that I had finally been found, but, when I turned the corner, I sighed. There was no one there. Clip, clip. There it was again. "Okay," I said to myself, "My ears aren't playing tricks on me…" Clip, clip. I whirled around, my right hand dropping to the handle of my whip. I still saw nothing. "Hello?" I called, my eyes darting around. They still hadn't changed, so I could barely see anything. "Show yourself!"

"I still don't have an answer."

"Argentine?" I asked, my eyes wide. "How- where are you?"

"You were a bit easy to follow, seeing as you were calling for your 'friends' every few minutes. Haven't you wondered why they haven't found you?"

"If you hurt them…" I said, "I will kill you, then seal your remains and destroy those!"

"I would say the same to you, Gray Light, but there will be no remains when I am done with you."

My stomach lurched. He knew about my last name. In Finnish, it meant light. Of course, that wasn't the reason my stomach was now doing a series of back flips. My whip was gone, and I still didn't think I was strong enough to fight. Why did this happen to me? "What do you want?" I asked wearily.

"To know how you became Kokuyoku, the same as before." Argentine's voice was pleasant, but it sent chills down my spine.

"And how will you get me to tell you?" I asked, "There is no one's life for me to bargain for." I tried to keep my voice light, like I wasn't really concerned, but I was sure he could see straight through me.

"Simple. You will not leave these passages until you give me an answer, or perish wandering in circles. You have no magic, and you will stay that way until you tell me what I need to know."

I turned and ran. Argentine was lying. He had to be, I couldn't be trapped here, I had to get out, I had to! Suddenly, everything was bright again. My eyes had changed out of fear, and I stopped dead, my nose inches away from a solid wall. I put both of my hands against it, and then my forehead. Krad would realize I was missing, and Emiko and Dark, and they would come find me. All I had to do was wait.

"They aren't coming for at least a day." Argentine was nowhere in sight, but his voice echoed off the walls. "And by then, you will have told me."

"I don't know!" I screamed, "I don't know why I have wings! I don't know why they're gray! And I don't care! Let me go!" Like I have said before, I _hated _small enclosed spaces. With a passion.

"That won't be possible, I'm afraid to say…" I screamed. Argentine's voice was right next to my ear! I looked over at my shoulder, and saw a lizard sitting on my shoulder. I tried to brush it off, but it bit me. "Ah. I see you don't know about my other form." The lizard said, and then hopped off my shoulder. It turned into Argentine, and I jumped back.

"Stay away from me!" I whispered.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I will never bother you again. I will let you and your friends go free." Argentine said. "Oh, and you've been here for about three hours. Krad isn't sure why you've been gone for so long, and since you told only him, while he was unconscious, he doesn't have the slightest idea where you are."

"Three hours!" I said, "Argentine, you have to understand, I don't know how I became Kokuyoku! I don't know! I got the necklace for my birthday, and I got my wings later!"

"Gray, it was not your wings that told me you were Kokuyoku. It's your personality. You have two halves to your soul, two complete halves. I am… a failure. My masters created me to be like the black wings, but I was… they called me a demon. They told me I could never be a human, because I couldn't love. I know only pain, hurt, and hate." Argentine's eyes bored into mine, and it struck me how they didn't really look like mine. They didn't look like Krad's either. They just looked… confused.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, wondering if I could help him. "How can I help you?"

"Teach me how to love." Argentine said.

I wasn't really sure whether I should laugh or pity him. "Love is not something that can be taught." I replied, "It is a feeling, an emotion, towards a particular person."

"I don't understand."

"Can you feel friendship?" I asked. Better start basic.

"Yes. Though I have never felt I have had one, I have felt what you would call friendship."

"Well, how do you feel about Towa?" I had always thought that these two would make an adorable couple, if Towa could get past her fear of snakes and other reptiles.

"Towa?" Argentine asked me, thinking, "I don't entirely understand her. I would like to get to know her, but it feels… different, I suppose than how I feel for Daisuke, or any of the other Niwa's."

I could've jumped for joy and punched the air, I was so happy. But the ceiling was low, and my feet hurt. "I believe that the emotion you are feeling towards her is love. You'd look cute together. Can you please let my friends go?"

"Hmm? Oh yes. Follow me." He walked straight through the wall I had been leaning against. I followed him through quickly, afraid of being trapped here. "Oh, and here's your whip." I took it from him, and wrapped it around my waist.

"Where was I?" I asked.

"That is where I live. The wall is a projection that is solid unless I touch it." Argentine didn't turn around as he said this, but stopped suddenly, turned, and asked, "If you love someone, do you think about them almost constantly?"

"Yes. Krad hasn't left my mind since I came down here. But I have a question for you. Why did you threaten him?" It was something that was puzzling me, with reason.

"Like I said, I only know pain, hurt, and hate. I am quite sorry for the condition I put him in." He seemed to be telling the truth, and I wouldn't gain anything by not believing him.

"Could you heal him?"

"Healing is… impossible for me. I do not have much magic to begin with, and it is all for combat and repairing artworks."

"But Krad… Krad is an artwork." I whispered the last part, because if he was an artwork, he wouldn't have bled.

"When he and Dark got their own bodies, they became humans. Well, half humans, anyway. They are like you, possessing magic and wings, and not requiring food or drink, but they bleed and can die like humans."

So that was why I _still_ wasn't hungry. "So, this is their last life?" I asked.

Argentine turned and began to walk again, answering, "Not their last, no, but they will experience a sort of death. Their bodies will age and die, and they will be reborn with the next of the Niwa or Hikari line, and will have to live within them for fifteen years. That is the curse, from what I understand, that your mother laid on the black wings."

"So they're still connected to their family lines…" I muttered. "What about me?"

"I would not be at all surprised if you lived up to your title." Argentine was walking quickly now and I had to jog to keep up.

"My title?"

"The Eternal Maiden." he replied, "Here we are." It was a small wooden door, with a brass knob. It would be impossible for a human to get in or out, but for a lizard, it would be like a palace gateway. Argentine turned into his lizard self, and opened the door. I lay on the floor, and looked in after him.

The room looked comfortable enough, though maybe a bit cramped, and I wondered how Argentine had gotten anyone into it. I saw Towa step away from Argentine as he entered, and mentally assigned myself to getting the two of them together. I liked a challenge.

"I'm letting you go." Argentine said, his voice strong and commanding, as he turned back into his human self.

"How?" Lumi asked him, hate dripping from her voice.

"Simple." Argentine said, and reached over to the doorway, grabbed the frame, and pulled up. The doorway grew in height, and I stood up. No need to lie on the floor now, I could see everyone clearly, and they could see me.

"Gray!" Towa said, "Run and get help! Hurry!"

"You don't need help. He means what he says." I gave a small smile. "He's no snake." Ha, double term. I mean, he was a lizard, not a snake. And he _was_ being honest.

"Don't you understand? Birds and snakes are natural enemies!" Towa turned into a bird and flew out of the door, turning almost sideways to fit through the still narrow opening.

"He's not a snake, Towa." I said to the bird that perched itself on my shoulder, "He's a lizard. Lizards symbolize all that we hold dear." (1)

"How- how do you know that?" Towa asked as Argentine widened the doorway.

"I know a lot about animals, and the mythology surrounding them. You as a bird, for example, represent freedom, and being limitless. Birds don't have limits, and that means they have no fears." I wasn't sure of that, but I knew Towa had absolutely no reason to be afraid of Argentine.

"Really?" She asked me, brightening a little.

"Well, I think so." I replied with a light smile. Everything seemed to dim around me, and I realized my eyes had reverted back to their usual gray and gold.

"Gray!" Lumi tackled me, and I smacked the back of my head against the far wall. "Thank you!"

"Thank Argentine…" I muttered, rubbing the back of my head and blinking stars away from my eyes. "Though maybe a bit less forcefully…"

"Oh, are you okay?" Daisuke poked his head out of the door, and I laughed.

"Fine." I replied, "Um, is Satoshi here? Or any of the familiars?"

Fenga bounded out of the door, jumped on me, and started licking my face. "Ger-rrr- roof! Rrr, Gurrr-ruff!" _Gr-mistress! I was so worried about you!_

"Please Fenga, call me Gray. You act just like a house pet!" I laughed, and shoved her down.

"Grrrrrrrrrr gurrr, gerof… Mmm." _I don't know where Satoshi is… Sorry._

"Argentine, where's Satoshi?" I asked. Maybe it was because I was Krad's Maiden, but I was thinking more and more of Satoshi being a brother I had never had.

"I thought he had gone back to Krad, since he felt the dragon attack. I suppose I was wrong." Argentine muttered a few words under his breath, and he must have seen something, or felt something, because he started walking away from us. "Come." He said, beckoning for us to follow him.

We followed Argentine back upstairs, and then back to the second floor. He reached the room I'd woken up in, and opened the door. "Where is he?" Daisuke asked. Satoshi was nowhere to be seen.

"He's right…" Argentine walked over to Krad, "Here."

"Um, Argentine…" I said, my heart pounding, "That's Krad."

"This is where he is. I have never failed at tracking yet."

I ran over to Krad, and gently shook his shoulder. Emiko had looked over at me, but then continued to try and revive Dark, muttering about probably having to take him to the hospital, and how she'd have to disguise him. "Krad." I said, "Krad, wake up!" He twitched and stirred, but he didn't open his eyes for another five minutes, when I'd plucked a few of my feathers and with a bit of magic I didn't know I had left, lit them on fire.

"What is that?" He coughed, and then saw the burning feathers under his nose. "I hope those aren't- what?" I gave him an odd look.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

"Satoshi!" Krad gasped, and he sat up, "What happened?" He sat still for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Gray, why do you look so upset?" His hair shortened a bit, and his eyes took on a distinctly blue tint.

"You and Satoshi…" I said, "You… and… Sa-Sato-"

"Were we a pairing?" Krad asked, wincing and covering his right eye, "On that one site? You know that's… aah!" His hair was blue now, and so were his eyes.

"Krad?"

"What?"

"Is Satoshi there?"

This was apparently all the invitation Satoshi needed, and Krad's form shrank, his hair turned blue and shortened, and his wings disappeared. "Yes?"

"You- no. No, this is _not _happening. No, no, no!" I felt sick.

"Krad? What the-? Oh, haven't I suffered _enough?_" Satoshi screamed, and without really thinking about it, I went over to the mirror, which had a thin crack on it, and took it over to Satoshi. I held it in front of him, and Krad appeared in glass. His face was a little distorted by the crack on the glass, but other than that, he seemed fine.

I took a deep breath, then turned towards the group in the doorway. "You know, if you want to come in… Krad and Satoshi are one again."

Krad shook his head, muttered something that sounded like 'kuso' and then spoke aloud. "This was Pheo's doing. I should have known she would do this. No offense Gray."

"Some taken, but, erm, how did you know it was my mom who did this?"

"She has a very distinct form of magic." Krad said, "I should have seen it coming. Why would she give _me _freedom?" I was glad, truthfully, that Krad was on the other side of the mirror. He was a little scary when he was murderous.

"Can she reverse this?" I asked carefully, "Or could I? I'd be more than willing to help."

Satoshi looked at the face in the mirror that was not his. "What do you think, Krad? Would it be possible? No offense intended, but I'd prefer to have my own body."

"You think I like this?" Krad yelled, "I hate it! God, this is the worst punishment I've faced since my creation!" He pounded on the glass, and I wondered if it would be possible for him to break the glass from the inside. After a few minutes, he calmed down, and said, "I believe that there may be a way for you to help me, but I don't know if I can allow it."

"You have no authority over me." I said, knowing and not caring how harsh I sounded. "I would die for you." Krad gave me a strange look.

"You have known me for four days, and yet you say you would give your life for me."

"I felt that dragon attack you." I didn't know why I'd said that, it had nothing to do with what Krad had just said.

"What do you mean?" Krad asked.

"I mean, I saw what you did, and I could hear what you were saying, and… I felt the dragon attack me. I mean, you." I sort of realized how weird that was about now, and I was glad Dark was still unconscious, because if he had been awake, he would have made some perverted comment, and I would have whipped him.

"That is something Krad and I share." Satoshi said, "Something that began to happen after we were separated."

"Between tamer and tamed." Krad muttered, "Pain must be passed, for they are still one."  
"Yet between the maiden and her angel, pain shall come as well," Dark's hoarse whisper carried across the room, "For their souls are intertwined, and their fates are connected, through better or worse."

I looked at Krad, then Dark, then Satoshi, and Krad again. "Um, why do you sound like you're quoting something?"

"That was a part of the enchantment Pheo put on The Black Wings." Krad said.

"Yet the light of darkness will be revealed with The Eternal Maiden, and byakuya will become one with his own precious enemy." Satoshi said. "I heard about half of it. The rest was German, I think."

Lumi gave a slight cough. "Could someone please explain this to me?"

"Like I told you," Satoshi said, "Gray's mother, Pheo, cursed The Black Wings, so that Dark and Krad could have their own bodies after fifteen years."  
"Yes, but what I don't understand is why Krad…" Lumi paused, looking for the right word, "Re-merged, I suppose you would call it, with you."

"Pheo knew me as an evil, psychotic demon with no feelings and no respect for human life." Krad said, "She would have done this, giving me a taste of freedom and then locking me away. I was like that at one point, but I have changed. But I shouldn't be surprised that she did this to me. Pheo was pure, and I am tainted. Why should I be released from this prison?"

Was the angel suicidal? "What is wrong with you?" I snapped, "You said it yourself, you've changed. You shouldn't have to live like this, locked away." I was shaking with rage, and Krad actually looked like he'd taken a step away from me, though it was hard for me to tell.

"Gray, you don't understand." Krad said, "I have killed. I have taken lives, and it haunts me. I want… to be pure, I suppose. I hate that I was left with only pain, and though I am a white angel, I am the darkest being the Hikari's have ever created."

I looked at Krad, trapped again in the worst way. "You may be the darkest being ever created by the Hikari's, but you were not left with only pain, only hate. You can, you have, I'm sure, felt love, you care for Satoshi as though you are an overprotective older brother, no offense meant, and you feel remorse, misery for your past murders. You have feelings, but you hide them. Stop." I stared into his eyes, and saw confusion. "Stop hiding your feelings, stop acting like you're only a homicidal maniac. Stop acting like you don't care!" I shook my head and stood up. "Satoshi, if you would tell me if he's suicidal?"

"No, I don't think he could kill himself if he wanted to." Satoshi said, "One downside to being immortal."

I rolled my eyes. "Great. Krad, I'll call my mom, and convince her to let you go."

"She won't agree." Krad said, "I can feel it."

"Fine!" I yelled, "Stay there for the rest of your existence if you want! I, on the other hand, will be trying to do something about… Ahh!" I stormed out of the room. What was wrong with Krad? I tripped on my hair on the way out, and fell to the floor with a crash. Leave it to me to ruin a moment. Even if it was a bad one.

Yes, I looked this up. And the bit about birds.

AN: Krad. SNAP OUT OF IT! Really, Gray meant what she said. She'll get you your own body again. If it kills her. Please R&R! It really makes my day, even if it's just a few words!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Me: Disclaimer- I don't-

Dark: We know, we know, now am I going to end up in the hospital?

Me: Shut up pervert!

Dark: Not until I get an answer.

Me: If you'll let me say the disclaimer, I'll tell you! *Rolls eyes*

Dark: PheoTheFlamedoesn'. *Gasps* Happy?

Me: No, I doubt anyone could understand a word you just said. Anyway, I don't own DN Angel, and I think I'll give Dark a concussion for being so annoying.

Dark: No, please- *Is hit on head by large glass vase and passes out.*

Daisuke: *Pokes head into room* Oops, there goes our "Glass vase indoor football" game. Sorry about that Pheo- san.

Me: No need to apologize, I was just going to go borrow that for the exact reason. Here. *Tosses vase back to Daisuke*

Daisuke: Thanks! *Leaves room*

Me: Okay, on with the story!

My hair was now tied back in a ponytail, and except for the color and the fact I'd wrapped it around my neck, it looked exactly like Krad's. Dark had a concussion, and I was just about to call my mom. I smiled ruefully as I thought of how I'd be able to explain what had just happened to her, and I could only pray that she'd be want to help, and be able to. I dialed her cell phone and hit the call button.

She picked up on the first ring. "Gray?"

"Hi mom." I said, not bothering to hide the frustration and hurt in my voice.

"Are you safe? You don't sound good."

"I'm safe. So are Lumi and Dark and Daisuke."

"Oh? What about Satoshi? And Krad?"

"They are stuck in the same body again." I said matter-a-factly, "Krad said he recognized your magic."

She didn't even try to deny it. "I did that for the good of everyone. You'll understand once you realize what he's like."

I squeezed the handset so hard I was sure I'd break it. My vision changed, and I growled into the phone, "All I understand is that you just locked my angel away, after tricking him into thinking that he was free, and that you have just re-cursed Satoshi."

"Your angel?" my mom asked pleasantly, "So you are Krad's Maiden? Who is Dark's?"

"Dark's Maiden is Lumi." I spat, "And if you aren't going to help me set Krad free, I'll go."

"Gray…" she said softly, "I didn't know… that you would be Krad's Maiden. I was so sure you'd be Dark's… I'm sorry. You have no idea…"

"Mom, please, is there anything I can do for him? I can't just do nothing!"

"I don't know Gray. I just don't know." Even in a different world, I could tell she felt terrible, "Maybe Daiki might have an idea, but from what I know, the spell I used couldn't be undone by any other."

"So why don't you come here?" I begged

"Honey, it's not that easy. It almost killed Dark to get me here, and I lost every bit of my magic when I arrived. But, could you tell Lumi that I've told her parents about what's happened? They want her to enroll in school. You should too. I'm really sorry about Krad. I know you'll find _something _that can help him and Satoshi." I heard a garbled shout on my mom's end, and she said quickly, "I've got to go Gray. Tell everyone I said hi!"

"Bye mom." I said glumly, and then hung up.

"Your angel?" Dark asked weakly and sarcastically, "How sweet." His hair had been dyed brown, and cut. He'd dimmed his eyes to a pale violet that matched Lumi's exactly. He looked like someone who'd tripped down two flights of stairs, then crashed through a bunch of badly repaired floorboards onto a cement basement floor. That was our cover story for him, because even in this world you couldn't walk into a hospital with an infamous thief and tell the nurses he had been attacked by a dragon that guarded an ancient vase.

"Shut up, kaitou, or else." I growled.

"Umm, Gray, that's not really a good idea…" Towa said, "Miss Emiko said not to touch him."

I smiled. "I won't touch him." I promised, "That's why I have my whip." I touched the handle of it, and Dark winced.

Satoshi got up slowly, shaking his head. "That hurt." He complained, apparently to Krad. I could tell these next few days would be confusing, and sighed. "Oh and Gray, Krad says to thank you for trying to help him."

"Can he hear me?" I asked. Satoshi nodded. "Krad, I'm still trying to help you. I'm telling the truth when I say you're psychotic, homicidal, you don't understand the value of human life; you're everything everyone says about you." I took a deep breath, and continued, "But, you want to change. And that changes everything. Some people just don't understand that. My mom, for example."

Krad's chuckle reached my ears, and I glanced at Satoshi, who looked up and spoke in Krad's tones. "This is the most I dare try to transform." he said. "But I thought I might as well try." Satoshi grimaced, and when he spoke again, it was in his own voice.

"That was…" he shook his head, "Painful."

I looked at him, and I wanted to scream. His eyes were bloodshot, and there was something in how he was holding himself that just screamed pain at me. Daisuke noticed it too, and rushed over to his friend. "Sato-kun, are- are you okay?" Satoshi didn't answer. It didn't look like he could. He collapsed, and Daisuke barely caught him. I would've killed for a camera. Every yaoi fangirl in my world would go crazy over this. But, I'd have to take credit for posting it, and then Satoshi would probably hunt me down and kill me. Daisuke would probably hide in his bedroom for the rest of his life. I smiled, shaking the thought from my head.

"What're you thinking about?" Lumi asked, "You have that weird light in your eyes, like you're going to do something you'll regret later."

"Oh, just a camera." I replied; then whispered, "You _have _to admit they look cute together."

"I suppose." Lumi muttered, looking at the two boys. It was right then that Emiko came back in.

"Dark, I'm taking you to the hospital. While you're there, you'll be known as Kei. Sorry Satoshi, it was the first thing- oh my… what happened?" When she'd turned, she'd seen Satoshi, who Daisuke had set gently on the floor.

"I don't know." Daisuke said, "Satoshi, can you hear us? You don't have to speak." Wow. No honorific. Daisuke must have been really worried. Satoshi twitched his right hand, although I wasn't sure as to whether or not it was a response.

"Don't worry Miss Emiko." Towa said, "We'll take care of him. He and Krad re-merged. I think it's really hurting him…" Towa trailed off as she saw Emiko glaring at Satoshi.

"Demon." she muttered, "Lumi, could you please help me get Dark to the car? You can come with me to the hospital if you want."

"Umm, Gray, would you be all right if I went with Emiko? I mean, I just want to be sure Dark's okay, and-" I cut her off.

"Yeah, its fine, I understand. Someone _close to me_ is hurt too." It took every ounce of self –control I had, and some I had to conjure up in my mind, to prevent myself from going completely psychotic. But I managed, and Lumi and Emiko helped Dark out of the room. When I heard the front door slam several minutes later, I unwrapped my hair from around my neck, and started twirling it around in a circle, trying to relieve my anger.

"What can we do for him?" Daisuke asked.

"Well," I thought aloud, "Maybe… is your father here? Or your grandfather?"

"They're both away, researching artworks." Daisuke replied glumly.

"… Argentine, could there be something in the library?" Towa asked, looking amazed that she was talking to him.

Argentines eyes lit up. "Maybe. We should go look." I made as if to follow the two artworks, but Argentine stopped me. "Most of the books are written in a language you wouldn't know. Stay here with Daisuke and Satoshi."

"Oh, okay." I said. I felt useless, but I walked over to Satoshi, and knelt down next to him, listening to Towa's soft, quick steps, and Argentine's slower, slightly heavier ones, until they were out of earshot. "What can we do for him?" I asked, echoing Daisuke.

"I don't know." Daisuke answered sadly, "We might as well try to get him onto the bed."

"Yeah," I agreed, "It'll be better than the floor." I smiled, and together we managed to get Satoshi onto the bed. He twitched and muttered something, but other than that, he looked like… "Gosh, he looks like a breathing corpse." I muttered, "Only a little worse. Why is this happening?"

"Krad…" Satoshi muttered keeping his eyes shut tight, "Go away…"

"I guess they aren't supposed to be reunited." Daisuke said, looking at Satoshi with worry. "I'm going to have to call Miss H- Risa. Have you heard of her and Riku?"

"Yeah, I have." I replied, "You and Riku are pretty cute together. But I never really thought Risa and Satoshi…" I shook my head, "But if they're happy…"

"Yeah, and Dark's pretty happy she's finally leaving him alone." Daisuke and I both smiled, but Daisuke's grin quickly faded. "I'd better call her though, and invite her and Riku over. Are you okay with them knowing about…?" he looked at my wings.

"Can they keep it a secret?" I asked.

"Yeah, they can."

"Go ahead then. I'd like to meet them." I gave him a weak smile, still worried sick about Satoshi. "But, umm, how will they react to me?

"You'll have to wait to find out." Daisuke said, "I'll go call now." I could tell he wasn't sure what their reactions would be, or if they'd be positive.

I didn't have long to wait. Ten minutes later, Daisuke came back, leading two girls I instantly recognized as the Harada twins, Risa and Riku. My hair was still tied back, so my wings were completely visible, a fact I realized about two seconds too late.

"Riku, Risa, this is Gray Valo. Gray, these are the Harada twins, Risa and Riku."

"Nice to meet you." I said with a smile, turning quickly so my wings weren't immediately visible. But looking at their faces, I could tell the damage had been done.

"Hi!" Risa said, acting like she hadn't seen my wings. I could tell she had though, it was in her eyes.

"Hello." I replied evenly, "You're here to see Satoshi?"

"Oh yes! Is he okay?" Risa walked over to me quickly, and I stepped aside, keeping my wings folded tightly at my back, and pulling my hair down to hide them a little better. "What's wrong with him?" she asked.

I glanced over at Daisuke with a look that I hoped said, 'do they know about Krad?' He shook his head yes, and so I simply said, "A spell, and Krad."

"What is that monster doing to him this time?" Risa asked, and I was amazed by the hate in her eyes. I felt my eyes change, and smiled lightly, imagining Risa looking up and seeing them. She did, and gasped. "What did you do to him?" she whispered.

"It was my mom." I replied, "Her hatred towards Krad did this."

"But… your eyes…"

"And my wings." I said, unfurling them. Suddenly my vision was back to normal and I almost collapsed. I glanced around quickly, and saw my guitar, the neck splintered. I walked over to it, and imagined it whole again, passing a hand over it. It repaired itself almost instantly, and I grabbed it. "I'm sorry." I said, "I don't… that's never… if you want me, I'll be on the roof." I jumped out of the window and spread my wings. The wind caught me, and when I glanced back, I could see Riku and Daisuke looking at me. I gained altitude quickly, and circled around the house three times, enjoying the calming feeling of the wind whipping through my long hair. I landed on the roof carefully, seeing as I wasn't sure if it was strong enough to support me, but it held. Very quickly I thought about something I might be able to play, that could actually express how I felt. I was scared about how quickly my temper had gotten out of control, and embarrassed about it. At the same time, I was furious at Risa for instantly coming to the conclusion that Krad was responsible for Satoshi's condition, and at my mom for telling me to go to school and not worry. Well, she didn't tell me not to worry, but still. I finally decided on "Hurricane Streets" by Hey Monday. I picked up my guitar and tried to start the song. Emphasis on 'tried'. I couldn't concentrate on the strings, and I ended up plucking different strings at random times. I shook my head in disgust, and then jumped back down to the window I'd flown out of in the first place. As I slipped through it, I saw only Risa there, next to Satoshi. Someone had brought a chair up to her, because she was sitting down. Satoshi was now in a state of semi-consciousness, and he gave me a weak smile when he saw me fly in.

"Risa," I said, "I'm sorry about what happened earlier… I don't really know what it was."

"It's fine." Risa said, but I could tell she was still a bit cold towards me.

"Where's Daisuke?" I asked.

"He and Riku went on a walk." Risa replied coldly.

"Oh." I whistled lightly for Fenga and Ryoushi. It would be nice to see them. Fenga trotted through the door after a minute. Ryoushi was nowhere in sight. "Hey Fenga." I said softly, "Did you lose a friend too?"

"Grr? Grrr-rrr?" _What? Where's Krad? _

"He and Satoshi re-merged…" I said sadly, "I don't think there's anything we can do about it, and it's really hurting Satoshi." I ruffled her ears and stood up.

"Are you…" Risa began.

"Talking to her, yes." I replied.

"That's a wolf."

"Her name's Fenga." I said conversationally.

"She's a _wolf._" Risa repeated.

"I've noticed."

"Is she tame?"

"Quite." I stroked Fenga's pointy ears for another minute, but it was too silent for my liking. I wished Lumi was back, and Emiko. I even missed Dark. Well, not really, but still.

"Are you related to Mr. Dark?" Risa asked.

I almost gagged. Me, related to Dark? "What makes you ask that?"

Risa looked a little embarrassed. "Well, I just thought, since… you know, you have wings…"

"I am from my own family." I said, "But I am supposedly the third half of the Black Wings. I'm not sure if I'm related to Dark or not." I heard footsteps running up the stairs, and a second later, Argentine burst through the door.

"I… think… I found something…" he gasped, "Well… technically, Towa… found it, but here." He handed me a tiny, dusty, old, leather-bound book. I opened it carefully, revealing yellowed pages covered with, believe it or not, English writing! There was no caption, or date, but I guessed it was an old journal. I flipped open to the first page, and started to read.

_I was given some time out today. Master Ryuu tells me that I should know what the world looks like, even though it causes him great pain. He tells me that I should try my hand at painting, but I've found an excuse not to each time he suggests it. I'm afraid of embarrassing myself in front of him. He says I'll be an amazing artist, that I am, after all, a Hikari, but I still do not wish to disappoint him._

I blinked. I blinked again. "Argentine, could you go ask Towa _where _she found this? I think… I think it's Krad's." I looked back down and continued reading without waiting for a reply.

_He tells me that he could show me how to paint, if I would try something. He says it will separate us, but it might not be permanent. I'll ask him more about it later, what he means by 'not permanent'. Maybe I'll try painting once I have my own body. I wonder what it would be like, not constantly having another presence at the back of your mind. I suppose that's all for now, I'd better give Master Ryuu control again, after I hide this. Even though we share our thoughts, I'd rather he didn't see that I am keeping a journal. He adores poking fun at me._

The entry had taken a page and a half. It would have been simple to slip the journal somewhere it wouldn't be noticed. I turned to the next page. It had a shorter entry.

_It has been a few weeks since I have written, but they have been uneventful. There has been news of the kaitou Dark, my other half. Apparently he has been acting cockier lately, even sending warning letters before he goes to steal an artwork._

_I have yet to ask about how I could get my own body, but I am slowly becoming obsessed with the idea. Master Ryuu is asking for control back now, I think he's hearing the knocking on the door. I'll hide this quickly, and I hope I can write again soon. It's nice to be able to put down exactly how you feel on paper, although a bit difficult. _

As I carefully turned the page, I wondered if Krad would be upset if he ever found out I'd read this. I hoped not.

_Today I finally asked Master Ryuu how he could give us separate bodies. He told me to astral-project myself, which I did, and he showed me a small artwork. It was a golden cross. Engraved on it was the word, "Byakuya", the white night. Master Ryuu said that he thought that one word described me perfectly. He said that the cross, if I wore it, should give me my own body. I decided I would put it in my hair, just to try something different. He gave me control, and I took a few minutes to admire the golden artwork. It is studded with tiny pieces of amber. Carefully, I managed to intertwine it into my golden ponytail. There was a blinding flash of light, and then, nothing. _

_The next thing I can recall is Master Ryuu calling my name. I don't want to open my eyes, because I am afraid that I will still be in his mind. But I couldn't keep my eyes closed forever. Very slowly, I opened them. Bitter disappointment flooded through me. I was still in Master Ryuu's mind. I hear him thinking to me, but I ignore him. I need to be on my own for a while. Or as alone as I can be in someone else's mind._

I could hear the bitterness in Krad's voice as he penned down those final words. I flipped to the next entry.

_Today, I finally spoke to Master Ryuu again. He told me that he feels terrible for letting me down. Then he asked me to astral-project myself again. I did so, somewhat reluctantly, and I saw him sitting cross-legged on the floor, with a white dog's head on his lap. When the dog saw me, he jumped up and ran over to me, and tried to jump up and lick my face. Of course, since I had no form, the dog passed straight through me, which didn't feel very good. Master Ryuu smiled at me, and told me that the dog's name was Ryoushi, and that he would be my immortal familiar, and my hunting partner. I asked him what he meant by 'hunting partner', and he told me that the thief, Dark, was setting his sights on the Hikari's artworks, and he wanted me to protect them. He told me that it was my choice, if I didn't want to, it would be fine, which of course, made me agree instantly. The nerve of this thief! Trying to steal the Hikari artworks. Master Ryuu tells me that I cannot kill him, since we are the same being, the same artwork, which hurts. Not that I can't kill Dark, but that we are the same. Why would I want to kill anyone? I hear a disturbance downstairs, in the underground passageways, so I must go now. I will take Ryoushi, though I doubt he will be any help to me. I've heard the thief has wings as well, as black as the night sky, but maybe Ryoushi can provide a distraction._

The last few sentences were barely legible. Krad must have been in a hurry. I looked back to the small book, completely unaware of my surroundings.

_I have retreated to the back of Master Ryuu's mind, bringing this journal with me. I didn't know I could do that, but it's nice. I am completely exhausted from my fight with the self-proclaimed "Phantom Thief" Dark. I had no idea any being could fly so fast. I let him get outside with the artwork before really giving chase, but it was Ryoushi who finally caught him. The dog has golden wings, which he uses like he had been flying for years, and he got his teeth into Dark's arm right before I lost sight of him. I found the artwork a few minutes later, in the branches of a tree I didn't take the time to identify. I flew back to the two story house Master Ryuu lives in, alone, and gave him control again, after grabbing this. I'm going to stop writing now; I can barely keep my eyes open._

I smiled and traced an ink smudge on the bottom of the page with my finger. Krad must have fallen asleep before he'd put away whatever he'd been writing with. I wondered if he'd gotten ink on his clothes.

"Gray?" Risa's voice shook me out of the trance I'd put myself in, and I looked up. "Gray, what's wrong with Satoshi?" I closed the Krad's journal, stood, and walked over to where Risa sat. Satoshi's skin had lost what little color it had, and when I pulled one of his eyelids up, I saw only white.

"I'll be right back." I told Risa, "I'm going to go get Towa and Argentine. Maybe they have an idea as to what's happening." I jogged out of the room, slipping the journal into my pocket, and ran down into the stone corridors, realizing as I did so that the walls looked scarily close to those that I'd seen in my world. I'd had the strangest feeling then, that I didn't recognize. I still didn't. I felt only mind numbing fear as I ran, not really sure where I was going. "Argentine! Towa! Where are you?" I was lucky. I ran straight into Towa as I turned a corner.

"Oh, Gray, are you alright?" She asked me, standing up and offering me a hand. I gently touched my nose, and when I saw it wasn't bleeding, nodded.

"It's Satoshi." I gasped, "He's… worse. I need to go get Emiko. Can you or Argentine stay with him and Risa?"

"Well, sure!" Towa replied, "Argentine just asked me to come upstairs anyway, so I might as well stay. He said you wanted to know where I found that old book. It was hidden behind a larger book; I think it was the one about…"

"It doesn't matter. Where are my boots?" We were jogging towards the stairs.

"By the front door. Don't worry, the traps are turned off." We ran up the stairs, and I went to the left. Towa turned right and ran up to the second floor. I went to the front door and grabbed my boots, putting them on as quickly as I could. Which took about five minutes. Swearing under my breath, I ran flat out until I found a spot I could ask for directions. I stopped at a small cart selling fruit at a corner, and asked the man standing behind it if he could give me directions to the hospital. He did, without even raising an eyebrow. With a quick thank-you, I was off again.

My hair was blowing around in the breeze created by traffic, which was a problem. If someone saw my wings, they would probably stop me. No, they _would _stop me, and I had to get to Emiko. I didn't want to risk flying, but it was quickly becoming my only option of quick transportation. Then I ran into a traffic jam. The cars were packed so tightly that not even a mouse could have woven through them, so I was pretty sure I would have to take off, or turn back. Or…

I didn't know where the idea had come from, but I quickly clambered onto the trunk of a small red car, then onto the roof, ignoring the driver's shouts. I was pretty sure I was light enough to not dent any of the roofs as I jumped to the next one, and luckily for me, I was right. I jumped from car to car, avoiding convertibles, until I came to the hospital. My legs hurt, but I quickly ran through the doors.

I went over to the information desk, thinking about what I would have to say.

"Can I help you?" The woman at the desk asked.

"Yes," I said, "I'm looking for a Kei Niwa; he came in earlier this morning with a concussion… I was just wondering if I could see him."

"Hmm, Kei Niwa… He's on the third floor, room 156, and he's already got visitors, you can head on up. The elevators broken though, so you'll have to take the stairs. Can I ask if you're related?"

"Yeah, we're cousins." I lied, "Thanks for the help!" I quickly walked over to the stairs, then jogged up to the third floor. I couldn't rush up to Dark's room, because it would seem suspicious to be running towards the room of someone who would probably be headed home soon like he was dying. I spoke the room numbers under my breath, and when I got to Dark's- I mean, _Kei's_ room, I knocked and slipped inside.

"Gray?" Emiko said, "What- Why are you here?"

"Satoshi's worse. I thought… you might have an idea…" I realized how stupid it had been for me to rush over here, thinking Emiko would have all of the answers. I shook my head, and turned to leave. "Sorry for coming. It was thoughtless of me."

"Gray?" This time it was Lumi talking. I turned and saw how well she had been blending in with the shadowed wall. "What _happened_ to you? You used to be so hotheaded…"

"I don't know. I'm just scared. For Satoshi, Krad, even for Dark. How is he, by the way?"

"He's fine." Emiko and Lumi said at the same time.

"And Gray," Emiko said softly, "You must really care about Satoshi and Krad. We'll be back in about an hour, after Dark's awake."

"I thought he was being unusually quite." I muttered, "I'll see you then." I turned and walked out of the door, and jogged down the stairs, then back out the door, to where the traffic was still backed up. With a running leap, I managed to get onto the back of a deep blue sports car, and made my way slowly up the stream of barely moving traffic. I was making pretty good progress, I thought, until the traffic suddenly sped up. I threw myself flat onto the roof of the car I was on, and tried to calm my racing heart. Why had the traffic picked up so fast? I didn't have time to figure it out. Very slowly, I stood up, trying to keep my balance. For those of you who have never tried standing on the roof of a moving car, it's quite difficult. I knew I should use my wings, just fly off, but I was nervous to do so after how I'd been treated back in my old world for having them. I took two quick steps and jumped for the roof of a car behind the one I was on. And overshot.

AN: Will Gray be crushed? Or will she be an angel on a windshield? Tune in next time, and please forgive me for the confusing disclaimer!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

I don't own DN Angel. Where have you been the past ten disclaimers? I also don't own Phoenix; he belongs to Takao Aoki under a different name. I do own Gray, Lumi, Wolf… and Ryoushi and Fenga.

My wings snapped open, trying to steady me, to pick me up. Well, that was a mistake. I looked up just in time to see some teenage boy on a cell phone run into me. _So this is what it feels like to be a bird on a windshield. _I thought, then, _Oww… Sorry Satoshi. _

I heard a girl yelling, "Pull over! Oh my God, pull over!" She couldn't have been older than sixteen by the sound of her voice, and she must have grabbed the wheel, because the car jerked over to the curb. The car slowed, and I slowly slid from the windshield to the unforgiving sidewalk below. Half- conscious, I sat up slowly. A girl was getting out of the passengers side of the car. She had waist length ginger hair and pale skin, and like me, was dressed in all black, with the exception of a scarlet scarf around her neck. She seemed to be half curious, half terrified. The boy was stepping out of the passenger's seat, looking at me with a mixture of curiosity and boredom. _How on earth can he look bored? _I thought. _And what teenager dyes their hair gray and blue? _

"Excuse me," the girl said, "But _what_ are you?"

"My name's Gray," I said, trying to stand, "Who are you?"

The girl looked like she was about to speak, but the boy snapped, "Our names aren't important."

I rolled my eyes. I hated people like that. _Really, you hit me with a car and then can't even give me your names? _Of course, I was too polite to tell them that, but I was tempted. "So, what can I call you?"

"You can call me Phoenix," the boy said.

The girl seemed to think about it, before replying, "Wolf." She seemed unfocused when she said it, and I supposed that was why the boy was driving.

"How'd you get wings?" The boy, Phoenix, asked.

"What happened to 'are you okay'?" I snapped as a reply.

"You'll have to excuse him," the girl who was known as Wolf said, "He's not exactly the most social person around. You are okay, aren't you? Are your bones hollow? Can you actually fly with those?"

Sheesh, I'd never even thought about my bone structure before. "Yes, I can fly. I feel fine," I replied spreading my wings out and carefully folded them at my back. "Yeah, I should be fine, maybe just a couple of bruises." I ignored the 'how'd you get wings' question. I had no intention of telling these two something that personal.

"Great." Phoenix said, still looking as disinterested as ever, "Why are you jumping on cars when you could just fly?"

"If you never had to stop running, would you still walk?" I asked.

"Hmph," Phoenix said, "I suppose so."

"Do you need a lift?" Wolf asked me, her blue eyes worried. I touched my face, which stung, and I wondered how badly bruised I would be. I was amazed I was still conscious.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Even though I trusted these two about as far as I could throw them, I could use a lift if they were going in the right direction.

"We aren't really going anywhere." Wolf said sadly, "Just… away." She curled a strand of hair around her finger.

"Oh." I said softly, "Well, you could stay with us…" I trailed off, knowing it wouldn't be possible.

"We prefer to stay moving," Phoenix said, "You might as well call us what we are-"

"-Runaways," Wolf completed his sentence without batting an eyelash.

"Okay, I'll give you directions," I said, standing up. "And, just out of curiosity, are you related?"

Wolf's eyes hardened. Phoenix sadly explained, "She lost her brother a few weeks back."

"Please…" Wolf whispered, "Please Phoenix, don't remind me."

"Sorry. Gray, get in." Phoenix had taken off his mask for just a moment, and I could tell he did have a heart. Sort of.

_He's kinda like Krad. _I thought, stepping into the backseat. I'd almost forgotten I had been hit with a car. Only my sore face reminded me of this painful fact. "Okay, turn around… and take the third left you come to," I said after Phoenix and Wolf had gotten in.

"Okay…" Wolf was driving this time. "Oh, and just so you know, neither of us have a license. If we get pulled over…"

"Run," Phoenix said.

"Or fly," Wolf yelled, flooring the accelerator. "That would be cool!"

My head slammed into the headrest as Wolf sped off. "Now take a right…" I managed to yell, "And then another right, and then the second left you come to… And slow down!" That was a mistake. Wolf hit the brakes so hard my seatbelt locked, cutting into my neck.

"Sorry!" she said with a laugh, "I forget some people don't like my driving. Mainly the police… But some other people too." She smiled and started off again at a slower pace. But only a little slower.

Five minutes later, we were there. The trip that had taken me half an hour had been completed in half that time with the help of Wolf and Phoenix.

"You guys, I can't thank you enough." I said, "If you ever, like, ever in your lives need help, call me." I scribbled my cell phone number on a bit of scrap paper I grabbed from a breeze, using a feather and a touch of magic. "Or if you just want to say hello."

"In hopes you never hear from us again." Phoenix smiled briefly as I handed him the scrap of paper.

"Thank you." I said, "I hope you find a place where you can stay. If you need anything…"

"We'll call." Wolf assured me, "But now, we need to go. I hope you have a good life." With that, Phoenix slammed his door shut, and Wolf floored the accelerator.

"Thanks!" I called again, "Thank you Wolf, thank you Phoenix!" I turned and looked at the Niwa's house. "Hold on Satoshi. I'm coming." I reached into my pocket and touched Krad's journal. "I'll do whatever it takes. If it means my life for yours I'll do it. For you and Krad both."

Half an hour later, I was still looking through Krad's journal, sitting in the living room.

_Master Ryuu says he's found another way to get me a body of my own, but I am afraid, after last time. I do not wish to hurt him. He is the kindest tamer I have ever had, and if I have to stay trapped within him to keep him alive, I will do that. I still wear the golden cross he gave me at the end of my hair, as a reminder. I will ask him more about what he would have to do to get me my own body this time._

The entry ended here. "Krad, please…" I begged the journal, "Please have written about what's happening to Satoshi." I sighed, "Here I am, talking to a book…" I wanted to cry. Krad was gone, Satoshi was near death, and here I was, talking to a book! "Can't I do anything?" I yelled, just as Daisuke and Riku walked back through the door. I was treated to two very odd looks. "I'm talking to a book," I said, as if that explained it. Without waiting for a reply, or another strange look, I bent back over the next page.

_This time Master Ryuu says it is up to me. I have control of the spell, and it only my magic that will be in it. My first pure spell. All of my others have been tainted by Master Ryuu's magic. It is in German, of course, like all spells, but I might as well translate it into English as well. No kaitou coming around tonight, so I don't have much to do beside write… _

'_In the darkest hour, one soul becomes two/ To give to one, kindness long overdue/ Another saved from horrible fate/ In finding the key to the mind's gate.'_

_I don't know why, but I want to wait a while before trying it. I only hope Master Ryuu doesn't find his sacred maiden before I can meet him face to face._

I flipped to the next page, but it was blank. That had been the last entry. Poor Krad, he had never had his own body until now. Closing the journal, I ran up to where Risa and Towa were looking after Satoshi. "I found it!" I called, bursting through the door. "Do you think Krad can hear me?"

"Why Krad?" Risa asked, her eyes cold.

"Because, he has to be the one to speak the spell. It was made for him, I think." I flipped to the page the spell was written. "Krad, if you can hear me, do you remember the spell one of your tamers gave you? I think if you use it, you can get free… Risa, can you grab me that mirror, the one over there?" I pointed to the cracked looking glass still lying on the floor.

"This isn't the time to do your hair." she said, but got the mirror anyways.

"It'll be easier to talk to him face to face." I said, tilting the mirror so that I could see Satoshi's reflection. It stayed the same for a terrifying minute, but then, slowly, Satoshi faded and Krad appeared.

"Gray?" His eyes were wild, and his hair was messed up, but I was so happy I could've kissed him.

"Krad, do you remember the spell Ryuu gave you? To get you your own body?" I could feel Risa and Towa staring over my shoulder.

"I remember a little of it… How do you know about it?"

"Erm, well, Towa sort of found an old journal… that was yours… when we were looking for something that could help you and Satoshi."

"Well then…" Krad didn't seem upset, but I couldn't read his expression well through the cracked glass. "Can I see the spell? Don't read it out loud, or you'll split yourself."

Very carefully, I held the book up to the mirror, trying to keep it away from where the glass was split.

"In finding the key to the mind's gate…" he muttered. After what felt like an hour listening to Satoshi's rough breathing, he said, "I've got it. You had better leave, all of you. My spells have a tendency to be explosive… Gray, I mean it." I had started to protest.

"If you insist…" I said, "Risa, Towa, c'mon."

"But Satoshi…" Risa said.

"Don't worry. Krad's changed." I assured her, leading her and Towa out of the room.

"I'm still scared."

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." As I said it, there was a flash of golden light, so bright I was stunned for a few moments. I heard twin thuds behind me, and looked back. Risa and Towa had fainted. Blinking spots away from my own vision, I spread my wings, just for something to do, and then knocked on the door. Silence.

"Krad? Satoshi?" I called, knocking again. When I still didn't get an answer, I stepped in. Satoshi was still lying on the bed like a corpse, but he was breathing. "Krad?" I whispered, looking around, tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

"Gr-Gray?" I barely heard Krad's faint voice, "Am… am I… alive?" There, a feather!

"Krad!" I said, "Oh, Krad…" The angel looked like he'd been thrown against the wall, and the fact I'd opened the door on his face didn't help any. It didn't look like I'd broken his nose, which was some relief.

"The spell worked." he muttered, "Ryuu was an amazing tamer. Wise beyond his years…" His head fell forward onto his chest. He'd passed out. After watching his chest rise and fall for a minute, I walked over to Satoshi. His breathing was steady, but shallow. It looked like part of his chest was sunken in. Maybe a broken rib… or two or three. Well, I thought I could fix that. I was glad most of my magic had returned; it made me feel a lot more confident as I conjured a ball of grayish magic to my hand. I willed it to form itself into a glove, which I passed over his chest. Nothing happened, so I did it again. Still, nothing happened. A bit nervously, I poked his chest with one finger. A spark of my magic shot into his skin, and I gasped at the familiar, nightmarish, soul-sucking feeling, and pulled my hand away. But it looked like that was what I would have to do. Again I conjured a glove of magic around my hand, but this time I placed my hand on Satoshi's chest, right where his ribcage was caved in. His skin greedily sucked up my magic, and I jerked my hand away, feeling a little shaky, but still okay.

With a gasp, Satoshi's eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up, his eyes flickering around wildly. "What… happened?" he asked, losing his usual composure.

"Krad got himself out of your head." I answered, turning to look at the white angel, who stirred slightly as if he felt my gaze.

"I dreamt… that Risa was here?"

"Yeah, that flash knocked her and Towa out. They'll be fine though. Do you think you can walk? Did your ribs heal properly?"

"My ribs?" Satoshi asked me, "What was wrong with my ribs?"

He didn't remember. "They were, like… sort of… half of your ribcage looked collapsed. I healed them, but I'm not sure if they set right."

"It feels like it. I hope so." He sat up, and when he didn't wince, I mentally cheered. My first successful healing! My first _ever_ healing!

Krad's eyes opened slowly, the feline pupils unfocused. Of course, that was when Risa opened the door the rest of the way. Hitting Krad in the face _again._ If he didn't look so murderous, I would've cracked up. Oh, wait. I did crack up. That's why I found myself on my back with a sword pointed at my throat.

"Oh come on Krad." I said, "You wouldn't kill me." I carefully pushed the sword away from my throat and stood up.

"I suppose that is true…" Krad said.

Towa poked her head in, and smiled when she saw me and Krad. I thought about the phone conversation I'd had with my mom earlier that day, and how I'd be going to school in the next few weeks. Then I looked over at Satoshi and Risa, the latter helping the former up. I thought about Lumi, sitting in a hospital with Dark. About Daisuke and Riku, probably sitting at the fountain where he had saved her life. Then I thought about myself. My unofficial boyfriend had just pinned me to the floor with the point of a sword. He was psychotic, bitter, and misunderstood. _Yup. Krad's definitely the one for me. I'd have done the same. _I smiled.

"Why are you smiling?" Krad asked me.

"I was just thinking…" I said.

"About what?"

"You." I wondered if my life would ever be normal, or if I wanted my life to be normal. Somehow I felt life couldn't get stranger. Of course it could, I just didn't realize it at the time. "I think I'm going to the roof." I grabbed my guitar.

"May I accompany you?" Krad asked me with a smile.

"Of course." I smiled back and jumped out of the window. Krad followed, leaving Risa and Satoshi alone. I thought that life couldn't be any better. Flying along with the wind blowing through my hair, Krad right behind me. I circled around to the roof, and landed lightly. "So, do you want me to play anything?" I asked, realizing that Krad hadn't heard me play. I sat down, trying my best not to slip on the slanted roof.

"What would you play?" Krad asked, sitting beside me and staring at the traffic rushing below us. I wished I could see Wolf's and Phoenix's van, just so I could tell myself they were real, but I knew they were long gone by now. I'd probably never hear from them again.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Then why don't we just sit here?"

"That would be nice." I replied, feeling the sun beating down on my wings, "But Krad, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Why did my appearance change? And Lumi's?"

"Your world," Krad answered, "Locks away who you really are, because it doesn't believe. Only very few people have been able to overcome the chains. That is why your mother lost her magic when she went there. You and Candra became who you really were when you crossed through into this world."

"How did you know my mom lost her magic?" I asked him.

"It's a bit of a sixth sense." Krad said, "Dark has it too. We can both sense strong magical auras, and we both felt your mother's die."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what I could say to that. We sat there in silence for a while, and I grabbed my whip and flicked it. A silver spark shot down the end of it, and hung in the air. I flicked several more sparks into the air, watching them drift and assume their own shapes. First a feather, then a key, and finally a heart. It was like watching… well, not hieroglyphics, but that's what they reminded me of. I realized what the pictures were telling me. Of course, I'd already known it. I put my head on Krad's shoulder, looking at the horizon. It was a perfect moment. I saw Daisuke and Riku walk back up to the front door, and a few minutes later, Emiko drive up. No one noticed the two of us, and for that I was glad. I breeze stirred my hair, and I thought about maybe putting it up. But I didn't want to move. After a few more minutes, Krad asked me something.

"Gray, would you ever…" he shook his head, his golden hair brushing my face.

"What Krad?" I asked, picking my head up.

"Would you ever think… of staying here? In this world?"

I looked at him, thinking about it. I knew what my mom would want me to do. Her and dad both. They probably missed me like crazy, but it wasn't safe for me there. Not now anyway, but once it was, they'd want me back at home. But… I wanted to stay as much as I thought Krad wanted me to. I missed my parents, don't get me wrong. Family is family, but I didn't think I'd be able to go back to my old life. I reached up to my neck and touched the marble feather on my necklace.

"Yes," I said, "I have. I want to stay." The moment was perfect, like a dream, like something you would find in a book. Well, a _fictional _book. Remember, this is true. And then I slipped. My wings spread, but something felt too heavy. I just managed to grab the edge of the roof, but I felt spent, barely able to hold on.

"Krad!" I yelled. I was pretty sure I didn't want to die falling off of a roof, and I was reminded of… I forget which episode of the anime, but the one where Risa was waiting on the roof of that supposedly haunted house for Dark, and she slipped. "Krad, help!" I felt so completely helpless, hanging by one hand. I could hold on for maybe two more seconds; then I would make a pretty impressive winged splat. And as far as I could tell, Krad wasn't coming. "My wings won't-" I was hanging on with two fingers, then one, and then, I fell.

AN: Um, Krad? WAKE UP! YOUR SACRED MAIDENS IN DANGER! Please R&R! Oh, and school's starting where I live, so updates aren't going to be as frequent. Maybe once or twice a month… sorry about that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Disclaimer: Hmm… Let's see… No, I'm pretty sure I don't own DN Angel. I can look again, but I suppose you wish to know whether or not Gray is a winged pancake. So let's just say I don't own DN Angel.

I fell. I was too exhausted to even scream, much less open my wings. It must have been healing Satoshi that had done it, but why? Or was it just my wings, weighing me down? I saw a streak of white in the corner of my vision, and a split second later, landed in Krad's arms.

"Can't you stay out of danger for thirty seconds?" He asked me with a very un-Krad-like grin.

"Oh, I don't know." I replied, "It makes life so much more interesting. And apparently healing takes a lot more out of me than I'd think."

"Who was it this time?"

"Satoshi."

Krad looked at me. "You're going to kill yourself one day." He landed on the roof, and set me down.

"Well, I suppose I'd better be more careful then." I said, "Thanks for saving me." He nodded, and I folded my wings carefully at my back, the simple movement causing me pain. I sat down again and picked up my guitar. Lightly running my fingers over the strings, I felt like I would never be able to be myself again. I felt like I was wearing a mask, a mask I couldn't take off. My heart was beating unnaturally fast, and I wanted to cry, but my mask prevented it.

As if he could read my thoughts, Krad sat down beside me and put a wing around my shoulder. "I know what it feels like Gray. It's terrible, isn't it?"

I leaned against the white angel, and answered, "It feels like a mask. One that you can't take off."

"Exactly. You can overcome it though. Look at me. You helped me, let me help you." I could tell he meant what he said, but I didn't think anything could help me. Or anyone. I pulled away from Krad, and stood up again. I had a bad habit of pacing, which I _thought _I'd gotten past, but as I walked back and forth along the roof, I realized I hadn't.

"Krad…" I asked, "Do you still try to stop Dark from stealing the Hikari artworks?"

"Of course," he said, wounded. "It's a job."

"So, not to offend you or anything, but have you ever stopped Dark from stealing something?" I was only talking to keep my mind off how I felt, and it was a welcome distraction.

"Once or twice," he shrugged, "Of course, that Niwa steals them from Satoshi the next day, so it's not worth the effort…"

I smiled. "I could help you with that."

"How?" Krad asked, perking up.

"Well, I could help you get the artwork from Dark, and I'm betting Fenga would make a pretty good guard wolf." I needed something to do with my time, and even though I was still a little weak from healing Satoshi, I could feel my magic seeping back. I guessed I'd be fine in a few hours, maybe a day.

"Do you think you'd be able to fly by tonight?" Krad asked, "I'd love to knock that thief out of the air."

I didn't like the murderous glint in his eyes, but I nodded anyway. "Yeah, I think I'll be able to fly by then."

"Good."

I couldn't wait to see the look on Dark's face, but something prevented me from really looking forward to it. "What's he stealing tonight?" I asked, "And where is it?"

"Eternities Mirror." Krad said, "It can draw someone into it for-"

"Let me guess," I said, "Eternity?"

"It was one of the artworks the Hikari's would use to seal me, when they were… tired of me."

"Oh…" I said. "Why did they hate you so much?" I flinched, realizing that was probably a pretty personal question.

"Do you remember what I said about eyes?" He asked me, "That's your answer. They only see me as different."

"So shortsighted." I muttered, feeling a little more of my magic coming back to me. "And, by any chance, do you write poems? That sounds like one."

"What?" Krad asked, his feline pupils narrowing in confusion.

"They only see me as different." I said, knowing I sounded like an idiot, "It just sorta made me think of a poem for some reason."

"You are a very strange human, Gray Valo," he said.

"Umm… thanks?" I said, not really sure if he meant that as a compliment or not.

"It was meant as a compliment," Krad said. He walked over to me, balancing effortlessly on the slanted shingles. "I suppose we'd best get back inside."

"But I can't fly," I protested.

"Well, I'll carry you." Krad replied. He picked me up (bridal style, I noted with a tiny bit of surprise) and jumped. It was a strange feeling not being able to control where I was going, and I was surprised when I saw Krad was flying further away from the Niwa's house.

"Krad, where are we going?" I asked, my voice sounding small because of the air rushing past us.

"You'll see." He said, continuing on his course. I saw the city rising towards us. Suddenly he was flying straight up, and I felt my stomach drop. "I'm not going to drop you." Krad said. I realized I'd wrapped my arms tighter around his neck, and my fingernails were digging into his skin.

"Sorry." I said, relaxing a little. A few minutes later, I felt him slow down slightly, like he was looking for something. And then he dived. I gasped, but didn't have time to scream before we leveled out again. I glanced down, and saw that we were still soaring above skyscrapers.

"There's the museum." Krad said. I looked down and saw it, sitting there, about the size of a postage stamp. I was the museum Dark normally stole from, so I recognized it quickly. "That's not our destination though." He picked up speed again, and soon we were soaring over the city so quickly that it was a blur. Eventually the sun began to set in our eyes, and I was forced to look away. But it told me we were headed west. I was surprised when we landed, because I didn't instantly feel a change in altitude. Then I realized why.

"This," Krad said, "Is our destination." We'd landed on the roof of a skyscraper. I could see the city stretching around us for miles.

"It's beautiful…" I said, looking around me.

"I used to come here when it was being constructed." Krad said. "Or after trying to protect an artwork." I continued to look around me, wondering how much time we would have before we had to go track Dark. I stretched my wings, noting that they were still sore.

"So, is this a date?" I asked, trying to act like it was no big deal, while in reality I couldn't actually believe where I was and who I was with.

"Yes." Krad said simply. "I suppose it is." My heart sped up, and I wanted time to stop, rewind, and then play again. Of course, it didn't happen. I guess even magic has its limits. "Though it's not much."

"It's perfect." I said, "It's better than anything I could've dreamed of." And I meant it. I couldn't picture anywhere more beautiful than this, a skyscraper roof at sunset. The cars rushing past us were mere pinpricks of color, and the noise of traffic was barely a hum.

"Do you think?" Krad asked.

"Yes," I replied instantly. "It's so…" I couldn't think of any way to describe it. I mean, it was a rooftop, but it was so… secluded. So perfect. And it reminded me of home, when I'd sleep on the roof. Of course, I missed the security cameras. I think Krad did too.

We walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, simply enjoying each other's presence. I put my hand in his, and we looked out at the horizon. "You know," Krad said, "There's no thief here today." It took me about five seconds to realize what he was talking about. Then the memory of the rooftop back in the other world came back to me, and I felt myself blush.

Then a voice came over a loudspeaker. "Hey, how'd you kids get up there?" It said, and we both flinched.

Krad swore. "Apparently they've gotten better security. I'm sorry Gray." He stood up, walked over to a camera that I swore hadn't been there a minute ago, and tore it out of the wall. He apparently didn't want anyone to see us.

"Its fine," I smiled, "Let's fly." We jumped off the roof, but Krad seemed troubled. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Troubled," he answered, confirming my thoughts, "There has never been any security on that roof."

My wings felt tired already, which confused me. "Where do you want to go?" I asked, my back feeling like it was on fire.

"You shouldn't be flying," Krad answered, "You're going to hurt yourself."

"I'll be… fine," I said, gritting my teeth, "At least for a bit. Let's go back to…" I wasn't actually sure what I should call the house, but luckily Krad understood what I meant.

"This way," he turned, and we flew back the way we came. I felt like someone who had been hit by a car, then thrown into boot camp with several broken ribs. Except I didn't have any broken ribs, and if someone tried to put me in boot camp, they'd be regretting it. Painfully so. But you get the point. I didn't think I'd be able to make it, and my body was trying to shut down. If this has never happened to you, it can be either terrifying or welcome. In my case, it was terrifying. Imagine being in an airplane, and the engines keep failing, then starting, then failing again. And you know it's only a matter of time before the engines stop completely. My wings would lock, and my eyes would close, and then the wind rushing past my face would snap me back into reality. But I was slowing down. Finally I had to stop.

"Krad…" I called, "I need to… land." My wings locked, but I forced them open again. Krad glanced back at me, and then looked around at the buildings beneath us. Without a word, he dove, and exhausted, I followed. I barely landed on my feet, and I didn't notice where we were. I collapsed, and everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, it was dark out. I slowly sat up and looked around me. I didn't know where I was, only that the roof of the building was flat. Krad was sitting a few feet away, his back to a wall, (why was there a wall on a roof?) looking at me. I sat up slowly, and realized my wings didn't hurt anymore. But they felt heavier. Krad stood, walked over to me and offered me his hand, which I took gratefully. I pulled myself up slowly, my wings weighing me down for the first time since I'd gotten them.

"What time is it?" I asked, "And where are we?"

"Almost midnight," Krad answered. "We're at the museum."

"Of course we are…" I muttered, trying to stretch my wings. They felt heavier, and it was then that I noticed why. My wings had grown. I'd had a maybe six foot wingspan, quite a bit smaller than Krad's or Dark's, but now they were double that size. I stretched them, and six feet of feathers and muscle rose on each side of me.

"You'll be able to fly faster with those." Krad commented, "Though you shouldn't have been flying earlier. You're lucky they aren't damaged." I folded my wings again, trying to get used to their new weight. Krad was acting calm, but I could tell he was relieved I was okay.

"Is Dark here?" I asked. I wished my eyes would change, I could barely see.

"He's still not quite recovered from the dragon, so he's coming late." Krad looked over my shoulder; then led me over to the edge of the roof. I looked down and saw the swarms of police cars I'd been expecting to see. I heard a helicopter above us, but then someone caught my eye.

"Is that Satoshi?" I asked in disbelief.

Krad smiled. "Yes. He's helping us tonight… mainly by telling the police to stay out of the museum."

I raised my eyebrows. "Will I be able to help you at all?" I asked.

"If you can fly," Krad answered.

"Should I try?" I asked.

Krad looked down at the police scattered everywhere we looked. Then he shrugged. "There's no way they could mistake you for Dark, and Satoshi has made it clear that we aren't to be touched. You can try."

"Awesome." I said, "I'll be right back." I jumped and spread my wings, the wind whispering between my feathers, whipping my hair around behind me. Krad was right about me being able to fly faster. With every stroke of my wings, I accelerated until the ground beneath me was a blur, like it had been earlier when Krad carried me. I flew once around the museum, listening to the gasps from the crowd that had gathered to watch Dark. Then I landed back on the rooftop next to Krad. Well, technically it wasn't a rooftop, just a ledge that jutted out of the museum between levels. But as soon as I landed, Krad beckoned me to follow him and took off. We landed at the top of the museum, away from the sounds of the sirens, and Krad told me his plan to keep Dark from stealing Eternities Mirror. Just as he was finishing, we both heard shouts and screams coming from the crowd far below us, and we looked up. There, sailing on the breeze, was Dark.

"Hide!" Krad hissed. I slid back down the museum roof, using my wings to steady myself. This was the only bit of his plan that relied on luck. If Dark saw me, the element of surprise would be lost. I watched as Krad flew up to meet Dark, a white feather held in his hand. A streak of gold light shot out at Dark, who dodged it easily and retaliated. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I could tell they were talking. Or, more likely, yelling. I watched Dark dive past Krad into the museum, then saw Krad follow. I quietly took off, heading for where I'd seen Dark dive. There was a huge hole in the roof with jagged edges. I could hear crashes and shouts inside, but I couldn't see a thing. I closed my eyes and willed them to change. I had to be able to see what was happening. When I opened them, I saw a streak of gold flashing through the air. It was Krad's sword. I could make out silhouettes of him and Dark, but I couldn't tell whether or not Dark had Eternities Mirror.

"What's wrong Krad?" Dark taunted, "Too weak? I always thought it was Commander Hiwatari interfering… maybe you're just not strong enough?"

I could tell Dark had just hit a major nerve. "It's Hikari!" Krad roared, lunging at Dark. "Gray, now!" That was my cue, if you couldn't tell. I jumped through the hole in the roof, and my eyes changed completely. It looked like there was a full moon shining down on the scene. Krad and Dark were fighting, sword against feathers, and Eternities Mirror was directly behind them. I could see that Dark was trying to force Krad into the mirror, but Krad was fighting back heroically. Or maybe manically was the better word to describe it.

Slash, jab, block, hack, slash, gouge, block, jab, parry. I followed the sword in my peripheral vision, wondering whether Dark had seen me or not. "Your girlfriend's not coming to your rescue, Krad!" He yelled, "Why don't you just give up?" I looked over at Krad, who gave me the slightest of nods.

"I'm right here Dark!" I yelled, cracking my whip to get him to look at me. It worked. He glanced up, and Krad took that moment when he was distracted to kick him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. I swooped down and grabbed the mirror, which was like what you might find hanging on a wall somewhere. It was oval shaped, and the frame around it was copper, adorned with… "What the…?" The frame was adorned with runes, and they were glowing. _It can't seal you Gray. _I thought to myself. _It can only seal Krad…_

"Gray, drop it!" Krad yelled, and I could hear fear in his voice. I dropped the mirror. It shattered with a flash of light that blinded me. When I could see again, Krad and Dark were both dripping blood, but still fighting.

Hack, slash, gouge, jab, block, jab, block, slash. Krad's sword was weaving a hypnotic pattern through the air, whispering as it fought Dark. Dark was doing his best to defend himself, but Krad had the advantage. I _thought _Krad had agreed that once we had the mirror we'd leave, but he didn't seem like he'd stop fighting any time soon. I cracked my whip again, but the two angels didn't even look up. I thought about what I could do. Dark could probably hold his own, but Krad was acting completely insane. I wasn't about to risk my safety for the kaitou, but I didn't feel like watching him get hacked to pieces either. Lumi might be mad at me. I started focusing my magic on the black whip I held in my right hand. It began to glow silver, and I landed beside Dark and Krad. I raised my right hand above my head, and flicked the whip so that it created a wall of silver magic that stretched all the way to the far walls of the museum, effectively separating the hunter and the thief. I quickly stepped over to Krad's half of the museum, and the gap in the barrier where I had stood sealed itself. Dark stared at me from the other half of the barrier, while Krad glared daggers at him. I felt shaky, but I must have been getting stronger, because it only took about a third of my strength to keep the wall up.

Until Krad attacked it with his sword. It took every ounce of my concentration to keep the silver barrier from disintegrating. "Krad, stop!" I yelled, but the golden angel didn't seem to hear me. I looked at Dark, telling him to fly, and he seemed to understand. I watched him fly through the hole in the roof before letting the barrier collapse. If I thought Krad would give up, I was wrong. He turned on me.

And then I was fighting for my life. Whip against sword, silver against gold. I couldn't do any damage with my whip; it took almost more then I had to prevent myself from being hacked to pieces. I needed something else to fight with, something I could use to defend myself without hurting Krad. A searing pain shot up my left arm, and I backed up quickly and looked at it. There was a thin scratch, nothing more. I tried to use my whip to rip the sword out of Krad's hands, like I'd done with Argentine, but Krad was a better swordsman, and easily deflected the attack. But I saw something flicker through his eyes. It was confusion. And my arm felt like lead. "Krad," I pleaded, "Please, stop. Don't fight me." The sword stopped an inch away from my nose, and then dropped. Krad leaned on it heavily.

"Gray," he whispered, "Get away from me. Hide…" Blood was dripping down one of his wings from where a piece of the mirror had hit him, and his eyes were glassy.

"Krad, you're hurt." I said softly, approaching him as one might a startled horse, "I can't leave you like this."

"I'll… heal." Krad said, "But you have to get away from me." He looked like Satoshi, back when they were one, and Satoshi was fighting Krad to keep control of his body.

"I'm not leaving you like this!" I protested. Krad, as though suddenly possessed, straightened and slashed at my ribs, before collapsing completely. I barely dodged the sword.

"Leave…"he whispered, using the sword to stand and flying shakily away from me. Without a breeze to betray his presence, Dark landed beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. I didn't resist. I was too shocked.

"Did that sword cut you?" Dark asked me quietly, leading me away from where Krad had been a moment before. I flipped over my left arm and showed him the scratch. "We need to get you to Emiko," he said, "She can treat that."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "It's just a scratch. Even if I can't heal it with magic, it's nothing serious."

Krad put more than one curse on that sword of your mothers." Dark said gravely. "No wounds it gives can be healed by magic; it gives it wielder amazing strength and stamina, and once it has tasted blood, it will track that person until either the wound has healed, or that person is dead." He continued as we took off, "If anyone _does _try to heal a wound given by it, the injury gets worse and the swords call strengthens. We have to do whatever we can to get that cut to heal as fast as humanly possible."

I took off after him with a shiver of disgust. That any being could curse a weapon in that way… That anyone could be so evil…

_You know nothing about Krad, _I thought. _And you must learn._ I closed my eyes and let the night air run through my hair, wishing I could just become the wind. Kaze ni naritai.

AN: And they all lived happily ever after. Just kidding! Please R&R! By the way, kaze ni naritai means 'I want to become the wind.'


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: No way! The rights to DN Angel? I must be dreaming! *Wakes up* Dang. I was dreaming. I still don't own DN Angel.

"Dark," I said as we flew back to the Niwa's house, "Tell me about Krad." My arm still stung a little, but it wasn't bleeding.

Dark sighed. "I can't tell you everything, it would take years. But I know what you mean… Do you know anything of the Black Wings?"

"It's the artwork the two of you originated from. When a Niwa tried to steal it, it broke, and you and Krad took refuge in the people there, you a Niwa and Krad a Hikari. But that's really all I know for sure." I didn't feel the familiar thrill of flying tonight. I was hurt, and it wasn't just the scratch that was causing me pain.

"Yes, exactly." Dark said, "And the Hikari clan has always been terrified of Krad. He has been trying to kill me since our creation."

"Well, I knew that much," I said.

"Alright, then. He has no honor. You seem to have done something to him, but…"

"You don't think he's changed either, do you?" I asked.

Dark looked me straight in the eyes. "No. I don't think he's changed. I don't think he'll ever change. He's been calm, but Gray, you have to remember, he isn't human."

"Neither are you," I snapped.

"True, but Krad doesn't care about not being one of them. He wants power. He's psychotic, homicidal… and I know he wants to change. But I don't think he can."

"He will." I said, "I know he will."

"We're here." Dark said, diving towards the roof. I stayed in the air, circling like a hunting hawk until Dark had gone inside, then I grabbed my guitar off the roof, turned around and flew back towards the museum.

"Krad, I know you've changed." I whispered, "I know you have." I flew on, the lonely night wind curling though my hair, whispering words I couldn't understand. And still I flew. I wanted to go somewhere I could try to play something without anyone hearing me. I was going back to the museum, no, the skyscraper, no… I was flying without a purpose. "You against the world Krad," I said to myself, "But you have me. I'll always be there for you."

I flew for hours, but I kept being drawn towards the museum. _He's probably not there anymore. _I thought, and landed carefully on the ledge I'd woken up on earlier tonight. _Why do I have to be drawn here of all places? _I thought to myself, but the thought quickly flew from my mind. I wanted to play something, and I felt like I was going to go insane because I could _not _think of what to play. What to do, what to do. I wished I had my iPod. I could always find something to play on it.

I started thinking about home, my parents, a few other people I called friends, Jean. Everyone I'd left behind flashed through my mind, and I missed them more than I ever had before in my life. Why did I have to be the one to sprout wings? Out of every human being in my world, it had to be me. I had to be ripped out of my world, thrown into _this. _I shook my head and took off again, circling to the very top of the museum. I placed my guitar next to me and curled up in a ball on the roof. And I cried. I missed my parents, I missed my friends. I wanted to go home, but I knew I couldn't. I wanted to see Krad, but I knew he'd probably try to kill me. "Why me?" I yelled, "Why did it have to be me?"

_Mistress? _Fenga's voice echoed through my head, and I jumped slightly.

_Fenga? _I thought in disbelief.

_Of course! _Fenga thought back, _I was worried when you didn't come back with Dark or Krad._

_I'm fine, _I assured her.

_Where are you? _

_At the museum, _I answered. _But I'm coming home. _I had no place here. Not any more than anywhere else anyway.

_Mistress, _Fenga said, _Ryoushi snapped at me earlier. Do you know why?_

_Krad had a change of thought. He went crazy. You should stay away from Ryoushi for a while._

_If you say. _Fenga answered. I think she might have said more, but I heard someone behind me.

"Good evening Gray." Krad said, sword in hand. I went for my whip, but paused at the last second. I wasn't going to assume that Krad was still in a bad state of mind.

"Evening," I replied smoothly, "Although I wouldn't say good. My wings are still a bit sore."

"I can fix that," Krad said, and lunged at me, the golden sword held out in front of him. I jumped up, spreading my wings and taking off. I grabbed my guitar with one finger, and my whip in my right hand. I set the guitar on the roof of another building, thinking I'd get it the next day, and then flew as fast as I could away from the city. If I had to face Krad, I wanted to be as far away from here as possible. I heard a bark behind me, and glanced back. Ryoushi was at my heels, golden wings flapping in the still night air. The breeze had died the instant I'd heard Krad's voice.

_Fenga, I need you! _I screamed through my thoughts, praying she had wings, or could fly in one way or another.

_I am coming mistress. _I smiled. Good old Fenga.

_Good. Make sure no one follows you._

_Why mistress?_

_Quit calling me mistress please. I do not want anyone to follow you because this is to be our fight._

_I understand, Gray. _Fenga thought. Then her presence retreated from my mind. I flew faster, trying to get away from Krad's hunting dog. A blast of gold magic shot past my head, and I flew up. I had to stay moving, had to stay away from Krad. The air was getting thinner, and I dived, pressing my wings flat against my back, the G-force tearing my skin from my face. Well, not literally, but you know what I mean. At least, I think you do. Ryoushi bayed, but I heard a howl behind it. Fenga's howl.

I turned to face Krad, conjuring a ball of magic in my left hand, trying not to overdo it. I saw Fenga out of the corner of my eyes, fighting tooth and claw with Ryoushi, but Fenga didn't have wings. She was simply walking on the air. I willed my magic into a shield around my arm, a flickering gray sleeve of magical armor, and charged Krad. His sword swung at my face, and I brought up my makeshift shield. It held, but barely. This wasn't going to work. _I need a sword. _I thought, and as I thought it, my whip shortened and grew heavier in my hand. I switched to a double handed grip. I now held a sword, a perfect replica of Krad's, but deep silver instead of gold. "Okay, that's pretty cool…" I muttered. Krad flew at me again, but I brought up my sword to block his. The impact knocked me backwards, but I wasn't scratched.

"So you want to fight me?" Krad asked, "Then so be it."

Candra's POV

I sat on the couch, watching the news with Emiko. "There seem to be two other angels here tonight, and they're both against Dark!" The news anchorwoman said excitedly, "I'm not sure if even the great phantom thief can escape tonight!" I rolled my eyes. Gray and Krad. If this was Krad's idea of a date, I would have to shelf my repulsion of him and tell him to go on a real date with Gray. I suppose I never told you Krad repulses me? Well, it's the truth. There's not really one thing that makes him so… strange, it's just everything about him. I continued to watch the screen, seeing flashes of gold and purple. Dark and Krad were fighting. Gray was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Dark dove out of sight, quickly followed by Krad.

"Watch carefully Lumi," Emiko said. I'd gotten everyone so far to use my nickname, with the exception of Krad. "This is the best part." I looked carefully, but I couldn't see anything but blank sky. Daisuke came in and sat next to me. Satoshi had left a while ago to who knows where. Even Fenga came over to watch what was happening. I scratched her ears.

"What are we watching for?" I asked, thoroughly confused now.

"Dark, of course!" Emiko said as we continued to stare at the screen. I thought I heard something that sounded like 'Hikari,' but I had no idea whether or not I'd imagined it. A few minutes later, there was a blinding flash of white light that illuminated every window in the museum and, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, the roof as well.

"What's happening?" Daisuke asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't know," Emiko admitted. We continued to watch the screen, and a tiny silver glow appeared. It didn't look like much to me, but Emiko and Daisuke were gasped, like it was a big deal.

"What is that?" I asked.

"A shield," Emiko answered, "Gray is a lot more powerful than we first thought."

I didn't get it. "I don't get it." I said, "Couldn't Dark or Krad do that?"

"Yes," Emiko said, "But it could only be a small one, that would only hold for a minute or two, and only protect a few people. That Gray could make a barrier like this is…"

"Unimaginable." Daisuke completed for her. "Look, there's Dark." Sure enough, he and Wiz were flying out of the roof. There must be some sort of hole there. But he didn't seem to have the mirror, and he didn't fly off like he normally would. Instead he just hovered there. Gray's shield vanished. I found that I was practically ripping Fenga's ear off, and quickly released it. Gray was okay, wasn't she?

_No Lumi, don't even think that. She _is _fine. She has to be._ Dark dived back into the museum. A few minutes later, he flew back out, leading… "Who is that?" It couldn't be Gray. Gray didn't fly like whoever was following Dark did. But Krad didn't either. The wings were longer then Gray's, but the hair was the same length.

"Who is that?" Emiko repeated, "That can't be Gray, and I know it's not Krad." The wings were beating, but they seemed off for some reason. Defeated.

"It's Gray." I said, and I didn't have a shred of doubt. "It's Gray, and Krad isn't… sane. She was trying to keep Dark safe and Krad turned on her." I didn't know how I knew it, but I felt for sure that it was true.

"How do you know that?" Daisuke asked in amazement.

"I don't know, but I know I'm right. And she's going to be serious trouble soon." Again, didn't know where that had come from. I felt my back beginning to throb, right next to my shoulder blade. I rubbed the spot, and the ache stopped. I must have imagined it, and didn't give it a second thought.

A few minutes later, Dark walked, Wiz on his shoulder, like any normal purple haired teen and his pet rabbit. But Gray wasn't with him. "Where's Gray?" Emiko asked, "And the mirror, do you have the mirror?"

"The mirror's busted." Dark said, and I noticed the cuts on his face. "Gray's still outside."

Another jab of pain in my back. This time it felt like a needle. I gasped and rubbed the spot, but it didn't go away. Dark walked over to me and touched the spot, and it felt a little better. I suspected magic, and I was grateful. _Is it my wings? _I thought, wishing that it was true. But it was only one spot on my back, not two. But then, there was another jab, on the other side of my back, then both at once. It felt like a pair of swords, and I gasped in pain. And I knew that Gray was in real trouble. She was going to get herself hurt.

"Lumi?" Emiko asked, "Candra, are you okay?" I opened my mouth to tell her that, no, I was most certainly _not _okay, but I couldn't talk. Heck, I couldn't even breathe. If you've ever choked on something, you'd know the feeling.

"It's her wings," I heard Dark answer, but his voice sounded far off. Spots were swimming in front of my eyes, black stars creeping from the corners and slowly obscuring my vision. I felt myself fall forward, and then nothing.

My eyes opened slowly, and I glanced around quickly. "How long was I-?"

"Not even five minutes." Dark answered, "Take a look at them."

I turned to my right, and gasped in shock. My wings were about the same size as Dark's, maybe half a foot smaller, and a beautiful, rich colored purple, just like Dark's eyes. I remembered making the same comment about the pendant on Gray's necklace. That seemed like so long ago. The tips of my primaries (at least I think they were my primaries) were black. My back was wet, probably with blood, and I touched it gently. There was only a thin film there, so I relaxed and stood up. My wings dragged a bit, try as I might to fold them. Luckily, it only took a little bit of concentration to get them mostly folded. "Gray's in trouble." I said, speaking with complete certainty.

"How do you know that?" Dark asked, "And you aren't in any shape to fly yet, so don't think about it."

"I don't know how I know, but I'm right." I said, "And I can fly. You'll teach me, won't you?"

Dark sighed. "Any other time, I'd say yes. And I'd summon Wiz and we'd both be out of here before these two could blink." He waved a hand at Emiko and Daisuke, "But not right after you got your wings."

"You don't get it!" I yelled, "She's in real trouble, she's fighting Krad, he's… oh forget it." I walked over to the door and put on my shoes, purple high-tops that Gray had helped me decorate with black Japanese symbols. We'd found how to spell Dark's name online, and made stencils. They looked pretty cool, but I didn't take time to admire them tonight. My best friend was in danger, and I needed to help her. Which I would do, Dark forbidding it or not. It was then that I noticed the writing on my arm.

_We have come, though it isn't our time. _What was that supposed to mean? Stupid cryptic arm messages.

"Krad's what?" Dark asked, looking at my shoes with mild interest.

"Is going to kill her, what else?" I stood up and walked out. Dark followed me. "What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm coming with you. I thought…" he shook his head, "I thought Krad would be sane by now."

"You thought wrong." Why me? Gray gets herself stuck with a psychotic angel. I get the pervert, the thief. I'm not complaining, of course, but I think I was acting more like Krad that night. "Now how do you take off?" I spread my wings, pleased with how well they reacted.

"Run and jump," Dark said, demonstrating and swooping back down to where I was. It took me a few embarrassing tries, including one where I ended up flat on my face, but I finally got it. I pumped my wings, watching the ground fall below me, and it was the most amazing feeling. It was like… it's almost impossible to explain how it felt to fly. It's the most amazing feeling. Take the best moment in your life, then add the feeling of being on a rollercoaster drop and an airplane taking off. That's probably the best way I can describe it. It was just so peaceful, so full of meaning. My feathers danced in the breeze, and I felt invincible. Dark caught up to me, and we flew almost wing to wing.

"Gray's this way," I said, remembering suddenly why I was flying in the first place and trying a turn. Instead I executed a perfect barrel roll and almost knocked Dark out of the air. "Sorry about that," I said with a sheepish smile. Dark grinned back at me and showed me how to adjust my wings to do a banking turn.

"See?" He explained patiently, "You have to turn with it. You can't just use your wings." I laughed at how ridiculous this whole scene was, me in a world that shouldn't exist, being taught how to fly by a four hundred plus year old artwork that I had a major crush on. I tried the turn again, and it worked, sort of. I still almost flipped over, but at least I turned properly. "You'll get it, don't worry. Normally wings don't come in at their full size, so it'll take awhile longer for you to get used to them." He smiled, and I grinned back; then back flipped.

"I meant to do that!" I called dizzily.

"Sure," Dark said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh come on!" I smirked, "You're just jealous that you aren't a trick flier!"

"Oh yeah?" Dark said, "That sounds like a pretty good challenge."

"You're on!" I yelled, then spiraled up until there was barely enough air to breathe, then folded my wings and dropped like a rock, spreading them again thirteen feet above a building and looping backwards up to where Dark was hovering, astounded. I laughed, and took a mental picture of his face. "Your turn."

In response, Dark had Wiz transform and hop onto my shoulder. He hung there, suspended in the air for a moment, then waved and, like me, dropped. I gasped. Was he crazy? In a second, he was almost invisible, and Wiz 'Kyuued' and jumped off my shoulder. A streak of black shot past me, and a bullet hole appeared in one of the clouds at least a mile above my head. I realized it was Dark as he fell back to my level, flipping and flying upside down.

"You should've seen your face!" He laughed.

"How can you get up that high?" I asked him, "And when did this turn into a game of chicken?"

"Once you've been flying a while," he answered, "Your lungs start expanding to accommodate the lack of oxygen. And I've got no clue." We started flying towards where I felt Gray was again, and got better at using my wings. I only flipped on accident two other times, and after the first, Dark told me to fold my wings if I dropped halfway through a flip so they didn't get injured. So it was a pretty smooth flight. At least, compared to what was ahead of us.

I saw Krad first. His white wings stuck out like lights in the dark sky. Gray was a little harder to spot, but I could make out her silhouette if I looked hard enough. They were both wielding swords, and it was obvious Gray didn't want to do anything but defend, and Krad was still crazy. I followed the swords for a moment, wondering how Gray knew how to fight so well. Then I noticed Ryoushi trying to rip Fenga's throat out, and the thoughts quickly vanished. Fenga was trying to defend herself, but was being blinded by Ryoushi's wings. Then I realized that Fenga didn't have wings. "Dark, look at Fenga," I whispered.

"Fen- what the- where are her wings?" Then he shook his head. "We'll look at this later. Stay here, okay? I'm not going to put you in danger." Grudgingly I agreed, and he darted over to where Gray was trying to keep her head on her shoulders. Sorry if that sounds morbid, but that was the only way I could describe it. She barely managed to block one of the attacks, but the feints didn't seem to confuse her at all. She would duck under, around, and above the stabs, slashes, parries, and a few attacks I didn't recognize and doubted Gray did either, but she kept deflecting them. As Dark got closer to the two of them, Fenga ran from Ryoushi and attacked Dark. He backed up quickly.

"This is my fight Dark!" Gray said, her voice quiet yet carrying through the empty air, "Stay out of it!" She glanced over at the two of us, and Krad chose that moment to strike.

"Gray!" I yelled. She was falling, wings half folded, eyes closed. A blur of white darted after her, and I quickly followed. No way was Krad getting to her first.

Gray's POV

I had made a mistake. And I was falling, headfirst, towards the ground half a mile below, my wings useless. I didn't know if Krad had done something to them, or if I'd just given up, but it was over. I was going to die. I wasn't panicked, or scared, but simply sad. My parents wouldn't know what had happened to me and Krad… Krad! I saw a white blur heading towards me, but I had to slow down. I tried to spread my wings, but they wouldn't obey me. And fear hit me like a thousand pounds of bricks. _No. This isn't going to end like this. _I tried to spread my wings again, trying my best to remember how it felt to fly. They twitched, spread, and folded around me. I forced them away from me, and then something hit me, hard, on my left side. I heard something crack, and then I blacked out.

Krad's POV

What had I done? I couldn't believe I'd just- I'd just killed her. There was no way she could have survived. I'd stabbed her through one of her wings. "Gray!" I heard that one other girl, Candra, yell. That shook me out of my thoughts, and I dived. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her do the same.

_Ryoushi, stop Candra. But don't hurt her._

_Of course master. _Ryoushi replied. I heard the girl yelp, but I didn't look back. I kept my eyes ahead, fixed on Gray. She was trying to spread her wings, trying to slow down, and they spread, but then folded around her. She forced them away from her just as I caught her. I heard her wing snap, and her eyes rolled up in her head. I swore silently, and spread my wings, carrying her back up to where Dark and Candra were hovering. Candra didn't seem altogether pleased, and I guessed it had something to do with me sending Ryoushi to stop her. But Gray was breathing, no matter how shallowly, and that was all I cared about.

_Ryoushi, come. Bring Fenga. _The three of us continued flying, the wolf running on the air, Ryoushi flying, following me. Fenga seemed to have a slight limp.

"Krad!" Dark yelled, "Wait!" I had no intention of stopping, or even slowing down for the other two. I did neither. "Krad!" I gritted my teeth and cursed the thief. Did he not realize Gray was hurt? Suddenly he was in front of me, forcing me to stop.

"What do you want?" I spat.

"What happened?" Well, that was not what I'd expected.

"She got stabbed through the wing." I muttered, "It's broken." With that, I flew straight up, leveled out, and headed for Satoshi-sama's house. Fenga caught up to me, running alongside me, Ryoushi on my other side. I marveled at the fact that Fenga could simply run on the air as though it was the earth. It was amazing. I still had my sword, with the intention of undoing as many of the curses on it as possible. I noticed that Gray had her whip/sword, and called Fenga over to me; I draped it around the wolf's neck. She whimpered when she saw Gray, and I glanced down at her. What I saw made my wings beat faster than ever. Her wing was soaked with blood; the bone must have gone through her skin when I caught her. Her skin had taken on a waxy, deathly hue, and her eyes were darting restlessly around beneath her eyelids. I didn't know how I'd not realized how badly she was shaking either, and it scared me, how she'd gone from defending herself against me so strongly to barely staying alive. "Hold on Gray," I whispered, even though I knew she couldn't hear me, "We're almost there." Sure enough, Satoshi-sama's home was visible. I'd forgotten about the police that might be there.

AN: Okay readers, I need your help. I've got NO IDEAS for what Lumi's familiar should be. All I know is that I'm not going to use any more canines, and I'm not going to use a cat or any felines because of the whole 'feral eye' thing with Krad. I really, really need your help right now. Please, if you've got any ideas for what Lumi's familiar could be, PM me or review with your ideas! Everything will be considered, so please help!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Disclaimer: Okay, I just looked at DN Angel, and I found out it's not owned by me! Can you believe that?

AN: Yes, I have Krad calling Satoshi 'Satoshi-Sama' because Krad's just formal like that. There are probably a couple spots in earlier chapters where I didn't do that, so I'm going to have to fix that sometime.

Krad's POV (Just in case you've forgotten)

Why were there so many police officers at Satoshi-sama's house? Gray needed help, and I couldn't simply take her to the hospital. "Ryoushi, go get Satoshi-sama for me." I said, trying to stop myself diving through one of his windows.

_Yes master. _He replied, and swooped down to the roof. Meanwhile, Gray continued to bleed out in my arms. I'd never get the bloodstains out of my clothes.

_Really Krad, this is not the time. _That wasn't Ryoushi.

"Fenga?" I asked.

_No duh! _The wolf replied with a bark. _Did you think Ryoushi would talk to you like that? Seriously, you boys have no brains. Of course, your head's probably full of hair, so you've got a decent excuse. _How dare she speak to me like that! Did she forget who I was? _Will she be okay? _

I sighed, feeling totally vulnerable for the first time in my existence. "I don't know."

_She has to be though. She's supposed to be eternal but… She's so close to dead… _I shivered at the familiar's words, because it struck me how true they were. Just then I saw the police leaving, and Satoshi-sama flew up to me, his ice blue wings flecked with drops of blood. Ryoushi must have told him how serious it was if he'd used his own wings.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at me, "Krad, she looks an inch from death. What happened?"

"We can talk later." I said shortly, not caring about anything but Gray at the moment. "What can I do?"

Satoshi stared at me. "Go get Emiko." The air hung still for a moment, while I tried to make sense of this simple sentence. Emiko _hated _me. She'd almost refused to let me in her house the last time I'd been there. "Take Fenga with you." The wolf grabbed my wrist gently and tugged it.

_C'mon. _She thought, _My mistress is dying. Your Maiden. _That snapped me out of it. I slipped inside and put Gray on one of the guest beds, and then Fenga and I were gone.

Satoshi's POV

For the first time in my life, I was glad I lived by myself. There wasn't much I could do for Gray at the moment but try to stop the bleeding, so I walked over to the kitchen for old towels and such. Ryoushi walked up to me and whined. I couldn't understand him like Krad could, but I guessed he was hungry. "You know how to open the refrigerator." I told him. I grabbed a few clean rags and went back to Gray. She had regained consciousness, though only barely.

"Where am I?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"My house," I said, "What happened?"

She lay back on the bed. "You'll have to ask Krad. Tell him I said thank you." She closed her eyes and her breathing slowed. She was either unconscious or asleep. Someone rapped on the door, and I ran to answer it, praying it was Emiko. It was.

"Come in," I said, my normal formality covering my worry. "Erm, where is Krad?"

"He said he'd be coming in a few minutes," Emiko replied a bit stiffly. I noticed her car in the driveway, and wondered if Krad had flown or not. "Where's Gray?"

"Follow me." I led her to the bedroom, where Gray was still breathing, if only barely. She'd lost so much blood; I didn't think she'd still be alive. _Don't think that. _I snapped at myself. Meanwhile, Emiko was looking at Gray's wing.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Emiko said, "Well; she hasn't lost as much blood as you'd think anyway." She held up Gray's left wing, which was limp, and pointed out where the bone had punched through her skin, and another wound, and I saw she was right. They were both pretty much scabbed over, but we still had the problem of getting the bone set.

"What can we do about her wing?" I asked, still wondering where Krad was. _Krad!_

_Yes, Satoshi-sama? _He replied instantly.

_Where are you? _Emiko was trying to get Gray's bone set, but then turned away from her.

"Can I use your phone?" She asked, "I think Towa could set this, but I'm only going to make it worse." I nodded and told her where it was, then continued my conversation with Krad.

_I'm flying. _Krad said, _How's Gray?_

_Fine. _I answered. _At least, she's not dead._

_That makes it sound like she's dying._

_She's not. But besides the spot where her bone punched through her wing, there's another spot. What is it? _Krad didn't answer. _Krad, I order you to answer me truthfully. Where did that other wound come from? _I heard a window break downstairs, then the tinkling of glass as it was repaired.

"I stabbed her," Krad said as he walked into the room. Towa, in her bird form, was on his shoulder. "I picked her up a few minutes before," he muttered, letting the bird fly off of him and change back into her human form. Just then Emiko walked in. She stiffened almost imperceptibly at the sight of Krad, but then relaxed.

"Towa, you're here!" She said, leading the Hikari artwork/Niwa maid over to Gray. "Do you think you could heal this? Or set it?" Towa looked at Gray's wing for a long moment, then sighed.

"I can set it," She said, "And heal the cuts, but I couldn't do something as complicated as a bone. Krad?" She glanced over at him.

"I could," he said, "But I'd rather not. Things can go wrong too quickly." I blinked; slightly surprised that he'd refused.

"Well, okay," Towa said, "I can set this up quick, but I'm going to need something to hold it in place. Do you have any clay?"

"Um, clay?" I asked, not sure I'd heard her right.

"Well, clay would be best," Towa replied, "But anything that'll set hard so her bone will stay in place. And some gauze too!"

_Since when has she known this? _Krad thought to me. I simply shrugged. Artworks picked up certain things over the years, Towa must have been around when a bone was being set. I heard another window being broken and repaired, and figured Dark and Can- sorry, Lumi were here. Gray let out the tiniest yelp as Towa tried to move her bone into place, and I heard a click, and a gasp, from Towa this time.

"It wasn't broken!" She laughed, "Krad must've hit her so hard it got dislocated and punched through her skin. I can heal this little spot here, and the one over the bone real quick, if you want."

"Just the one over the bone." Krad said quickly, "The other needs to heal on its own." Towa looked at him disapprovingly, but did as he asked and left the stab wound alone.

"There!" She said, "All healed!" She smiled, and stepped away from Gray. "She's still pretty weak though, and she might not wake up for a while." But just as she said it, Gray stirred and opened her eyes. The golden rings that had once surrounded her pupils were gone. "Where's Fenga?" She asked.

Gray's POV

Fenga walked over to me, having been standing near the door until that moment. I stroked her head, trying to accept what had happened last night. At least I think everything happened last night. It could have been last week, for all I knew. _Fenga, I want you with me when I'm anywhere but school, okay?_

_Of course mistr- I mean, Gray. _Fenga replied eagerly. _If you wish it, it shall be. _I smiled at her loyalty, and scratched her ears. My wing hurt like mad where Krad had stabbed it, but I was glad he was back to normal. But at the same time, I was scared of it happening again. I sighed. Mine was the life of a nightmare. I realized I was sounded more formal, but shrugged the thought off. It was probably just a part of being Krad's maiden. But I was becoming less sure as to whether or not that was a curse. I didn't really understand it, but everywhere I turned, there seemed to be danger, hurt, and fear, as though they were following me.

"When can I fly again?" I asked, sitting up. I noticed Lumi and Dark walking into my room, and saw that Lumi had gotten her wings. I smiled at her, and she grinned back.

"You should stay in bed for a few days," Towa replied, "You'll be pretty weak for a while."

I shook my head. "I'm not going to lie around like an invalid," I replied evenly, "But I'll take things easy for a while." I was quite amazed that the bone of my wing wasn't broken, but also thankful. I tried to stretch it, but could only get it about a third of the way extended before it cracked deafeningly and I pulled it back, wondering how long my guitar would have to sit outside, on a roof, fully exposed to the elements. Somehow everything always led back to that guitar, a birthday present from my parents. Maybe it had magical properties, now that I thought about it. I hoped not. It had broken after all, when that dragon must've hit it. Sheesh, that brought back some memories. Time seemed to have moved so quickly since I'd gotten to here. I could barely remember the other world; it seemed like a dream to me now. The legend on the vase that I would never know, whatever trick Krad, Satoshi, and Daisuke had planned for Dark, (actually, I'd have to ask them about that) the broken wind generator, all of it seemed like it had been a dream. Argentine almost killing Krad seemed more real than, say, one of my rooftop concerts.

"Hey, Daisuke," Lumi said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "When does school start?" I realized I'd never told her about her parents knowing about what happened to her, and wanting her to enroll in school. I felt terrible.

"Your parents wanted you to enroll," I said softly, fully expecting her to turn on me. She'd done it once before… I'd rather not talk about it, but I'll say that you should never argue with someone when they're sharpening knives. (No, I'm just kidding. My dad almost lost an eye when we had a food fight and she threw a fork though… long story.)

"I know. I've been having these weird feelings whenever I look at someone or think about them a lot…" her eyes glimmered faintly, "That's how I knew you were in trouble last night." I blinked.

"Have you ever had like…?" I paused trying to find the right word, "Like, a vision?" The damp, mildewed stone walls still haunted me during the day. And I knew where they were too. They were the walls of the corridors beneath the Niwa's house. As I thought of them, a chill ran down my back. Lumi shook her head.

"I just could sense feelings. Maybe a snatch of someone's thoughts too, but never a vision." She shrugged, but I was still confused. I was having weird visions, and she was sensing moods and thoughts, and we were supposed to be caught in the middle of some war or battle that I was terrified would turn us against each other. The walls flickered, and vanished, then reappeared so quickly I wasn't sure if I'd seen something or not. I shook my head and tried to clear my mind, but that just made it worse. I heard someone screaming, and again I saw a flash of violet. It was either Dark's hair, or Lumi's wings. I started thinking about music, and the thoughts vanished. I sighed slightly, and realized Fenga was snarling.

"Hey Fenga, calm down girl," I stroked her head, and she seemed to calm a bit.

_You cannot trust your visions. Not even the Seer is a perfect oracle. _She pulled away from me, and it was then I realized how she'd been flying last night. She had wings growing out of her feet, at the ankle. When she folded them, they looked like bushy clumps of fur, like the feathers above a Clydesdale's hooves, and they were the deepest, blackest color I'd ever seen, darker even than her fur. Lumi must have seen them too, because she gasped. _You didn't really think I could run on air like hair head there, did you?_

"Hair head?" I asked her quietly.

_I think you call him Krad. _I stifled a laugh, and scratched her ears.

"Nice one Fenga, but show him some respect," I muttered, smiling.

_Must I? _She thought.

"Yes, you must," I replied. "And Daisuke, when _does _school start? We'll have to register, and we're gonna have to learn Japanese." Daisuke and Satoshi both gave me strange looks that said 'you're kidding, right?'

"We haven't spoken a word of English since we got back," Satoshi said. Now it was me and Lumi who gave them strange looks. I'd been speaking Japanese. For I don't know how many days, I'd been speaking Japanese.

"How?" I asked, and the word sounded completely English. So did Krad's answer.

"You are speaking English, I suppose. But your aura can work as a translator, both ways. English to Japanese and back again. It's quite interesting, actually, and I suppose you'll be able to read as well." By 'read', I hope he meant, 'read Japanese symbols', otherwise I would have to feel insulted. Ryoushi swooped in, if a winged dog can 'swoop' indoors. Krad's sword was in his mouth, and I was terrified that he would slice his mouth open. Or give it to Krad. He dropped it at the golden seraph's feet. "Thank you Ryoushi. How much was he able to undo?" Ryoushi barked a quick answer, and Krad nodded. "I've asked Argentine to examine this, and reverse as many of the curses as he could." He listened as Ryoushi barked again. "What does he mean? He should have been able to…" He seemed to realize something. "Ryoushi, could you go get Argentine for me? It has been made clear to me," he looked pointedly at Emiko, "That I am not allowed back in the Niwa's house." The dog yipped and flew out of the window, which was closed.

_Why am I not even surprised? _I thought. _Oh yeah, this is normal. _It was the truth, too. I didn't even think twice about flying dogs, a wolf with winged feet, a rabbit/fox/dog… _thing _that turned into a pair of wings, the fact that Towa was circling around my head as a bird when Ryoushi flew back in with a lizard on his head. Fenga yapped a greeting to him, and I smiled sadly. One more couple that would never be. _Whoa, wait. Where did that come from? _My thoughts were scaring me now.

"Gray," Lumi said, "Are you okay?" I looked at her, wondering if she would understand what I was trying to tell her. That I felt terrible, and I just wanted to get my life back to being halfway normal. "Oh." And that her powers were scaring me. I think she ignored that last part, because I never got an answer.

"I don't know how I am," I said, for the benefit of those without psychic abilities, "I just want life to go back to being normal. Try to be normal again." I noted, with quite a bit of surprise, Towa had gone over to where Argentine was examining Krad's sword, hardly hesitating at all. He glanced up at her, muttered a few words to Krad, and handed him the sword. Without trying to stab him! Quite a difference from the last time. Krad nodded, and walked over to me. To my eternal embarrassment, I flinched. But Krad simply sat down beside me, laying the sword on the floor by his feet. Fenga put a paw on it, the set of wings on that ankle spreading to cover it almost completely.

"Gray, I'm sorry," he said, "I wish you had listened to me last night. But that damned sword has hurt its last victim." He sounded like he was talking to himself. "I'm destroying it."

"What do you mean?" I asked, "Wouldn't you just have to seal it?" I was thinking about the Wedge of Time.

"I've told you, this sword isn't the toki no kusabi. I created it so that it couldn't be destroyed." My translator told me that toki no kusabi meant 'the chock of time', or 'the wedge of time', which made sense. It was an almost perfect replica, but I noticed then that the hand guard (I think that's what you'd call it), which was visible from beneath one of Fenga's wings, was silver. "For your mother," Krad said wretchedly. "I almost will be glad to see it destroyed." I blinked.

"Krad, please, tell me what happened," I said, "Tell me how you met my mom."

Krad closed his eyes. "Gray, you don't understand. There was… is, so much that happened because of her. It haunts me."

"Then tell me to make peace with your past," I said, "I swear, I'm not going to judge you based on my mom's opinions. Or yours, for that matter." I stared at the floor, flicking my eyes up to where everyone else was. Except, they were gone. And so was the room, and… well, pretty much everything else, including light. It was like a giant wall of blackness all around us. "Where are we?" I asked, amazed. I'd never seen darkness so complete.

Krad himself was the exception. A pure, golden blaze surrounded him, as he answered, "My mind."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Disclaimer: I have terrible news for you. I do not own DN Angel. So you cannot sue me. Well, you can't sue me about DN Angel, anyways. But what else do you want to sue me for?

Warning: This chapter is going to be confusing. To help you, whenever I talk about Krad and myself, I'm talking about the Krad of the present. When I'm talking about Krad and Pheo, I'm talking about Krad's old self.

"Your memories," I said softly, "You can't be serious." I was aware of sitting down, but I couldn't see what it was I was sitting on. For all I knew, we were sitting in a pit of poisonous snakes, but something told me we weren't.

"My memories of your mother," Krad said quietly, "Her, Dark, and myself." I was reminded of 'Ice and Dark,' but I hoped this story would have less death in it. "Watch, listen, and forgive me." Instantly, we were both standing on a beach on a moonlit night, the waves crashing against the shore in steady rhythm. "It might be a bit disorienting at first, and we'll have to stick close to the other me. Oh, and they can't see us." I nodded, and almost as if I'd caused it, a bolt of golden light shot through the sky. Krad's wings quickly became visible against the night sky, and I saw Dark a few seconds later. Apparently Krad had prevented him from taking whatever artwork he was trying to steal, because he didn't have anything. I kept glancing from the Krad in the air to the one sitting beside me. He was right about it being disorienting, so I focused on the two angels in flight. Dark was yelling something, being his normal arrogant self, and Krad was doing his best to knock him out of the air. (Also normal) But something didn't feel right. Something felt out of place, wrong, unbalanced. "What you feel is what I did, when I first sensed her aura." It was weird, feeling like that, and I was glad I couldn't normally sense auras. I proceeded to watch the battle, which was leaning more in Dark's favor, but eventually Dark flew off. Krad didn't try to follow him.

"Your tamer?" I asked, not having a clue who that might be. Krad nodded, and we watched as he flew down towards a large cluster of rocks just off the shore. My heart lurched as I remembered Dark's words. _Krad found her washed up dead on the beach. _I really did _not _need to see that. But Krad beckoned that we needed to move forward, and I remembered that we had to stay close to his past self. We took off, my recently reset wing clicking with every down stroke. When we landed, Krad touched it, and a shock ran through my whole body. It clicked once, and I could tell it was set properly.

"I don't… have… time for this!" The past Krad gasped, and I watched as his eyes flickered from gold to blue and back again. Then I saw my mom, and realized what he meant. She looked sort of like how I did back in my old world, with pale skin and copper hair, but the similarity ended there. Her wings were silver, bright and pure, even covered in sea foam and blood, and bent at strange angles; they seemed to have a slight glow. She wore a faded sage green jacket, ripped up blue jeans, and a pair of filthy high tops that might have been sort of a grayish color at one time. There were cuts all over her face, and one especially nasty one went straight across her right eye. She couldn't have been much older than me.

"Krad," I asked quietly, "How did you… you can reverse death?" There was no way. Even in the most unrealistic fairy tales and fiction novels, death was irreversible.

"No," Krad said quietly, "She was just barely alive. If I'd come even another minute later, she'd have been dead. Watch." I did, and saw him just about kill himself trying to heal her. He fixed both of her wings, and her eye, and I he must have given her some blood, because her wounds started bleeding anew. Then they healed themselves, and Krad collapsed.

She woke up a few minutes later, (How did Krad know this if he was unconscious?) and sat up slowly, looking around her. I guess she didn't see Krad at first, because she muttered something that sounded like, "I must be asleep, that's it." Then she touched Krad's wing, and glanced down. "Oh my God, I'm dead, I'm dead…" Her eyes were as blue as Satoshi's, and wide with shock, and her wings fluffed up at her back.

"You're welcome," Krad muttered, and she jumped back in shock. "I hope I didn't frighten you too much," he said, sitting up.

"Am I dead?" My mom asked, "Are… you an angel?" Even at this age, she was so sensible it scared me.

"Do I look like an angel?" Krad said, "Look at me." I glanced over at Krad, who was sitting beside me, and answered at the same time as my mother.

"Yes." Krad took a step backwards, and offered my mom a hand, which she took gratefully.

"So there are others like me?" She asked quietly, "How many? What color are their wings?" Krad (from the past) seemed a bit taken aback by her, but I'd always wondered where my rapid fire questioning had come from.

"There is one other," he said quietly, "With black wings that he is too cowardly to use. I was fighting him when I came across you."

"Stretch the truth much?" I muttered to Krad, who stood and spread his wings.

"We should go," he said, "They take off in a second." Okay, that didn't answer my question, but I did as he asked. We took off silently, almost at the same time the other Krad (for lack of a better name) and my mom took to the air. "Watch her wings," Krad said softly, and I did. They really were glowing, with a silver light that seemed to vanish when you looked at them straight on. Krad's white wings seemed plain and dull compared to them, and it was depressing to know my mom, even as ragged as she was, was more beautiful than I could ever be in my life.

"I am Krad," Krad was saying to her, "Are you feeling better?"

"Quite, thank you," my mom replied, "You may call me Pheo." I'd never heard her called anything else, but for the first time ever I wondered if that wasn't her name. I would have to bring that up later, but for now I was content to fly beside Krad.

_Floating in memories… or flying, more like. _I thought, catching an updraft and soaring up. I angled my wings and dove back down to where Krad was, and continued to fly with him. We landed on a rooftop about five minutes later. It seemed familiar, but it wasn't the same one Krad had taken me to. I was sure of that.

"Krad," I asked quietly, "Where are we?" I glanced over at him, and noticed he was tense, ready to bolt. I reached over and gently touched his shoulder, and he practically brained me with one of his wings. Only luck kept me on my feet. "Krad…?"

He shook his head. "It's… nothing," he said, "Just- never mind." I most certainly was _not _going to just 'never mind' but I let it go for the moment. No use arguing with him now, seeing as these memories were probably already painful enough for him. "We're taking off now; I'm taking her over to one of the skyscrapers."

"Ours?" I asked with a smile. Krad smiled back, a bit halfheartedly.

"Ours was built a few years after all of this," he said, "This one isn't nearly as nice. Too much blacktop." I snickered.

"Did it ruin your shoes?" I asked, spreading my wings and jumping.

"Yes." Krad replied, "It did." I laughed, and he smiled, and we quietly flew after my mom and the past Krad. Krad, the one who was flying next to me, was shaking. But they landed a few minutes later, on top of a rooftop that was sticky with tar. I took one look at it and decided I'd work on hovering. Krad did the same.

"So, Krad," my mom said, "I don't understand. Where do you come from? Who are you?"

"It is too much to comprehend." Krad said, "For now, I just want to know where you're from, and how far you can fly."

My mom sighed. "I'm from America. My parents kicked me out last week, after I broke their rules and flew home. They were terrified of people finding out about my wings. As to how far I can fly… I don't know. I've maybe got another mile or two left." She shook her wings as though she was disgusted with them.

Krad nodded. "How did you get here?" He asked. My mom stared at him like he was an idiot.

"I flew," she said slowly, "And then I crashed. Nothing special… I think."

"You flew here, from America?" Krad asked, "How long did it take?"

"I'm not sure… a few days, I think. The time changes really messed me up for a while."

Krad didn't seem to know what to say, so he jumped into the air and spread his wings. "Well, you're almost where you'll be safe. Come on." His voice was cold and hard, and I remembered Krad said he didn't know how to show his feelings to her.

"Come Gray," Krad said to me, "My memories of her are nearly over." I blinked. She had passed through his life so quickly? But I nodded and followed him into the sky. This flight only took a few minutes, and we landed outside of a house. I didn't recognize it, but Krad obviously did. "They cursed the doors," he said softly, "The windows and the halls, so that I could not enter, could not transform inside. I wonder… can you get in?"

"Only one way to find out," I said, stepping forward. Krad grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"That's not wise," he whispered, "It's painful. But Pheo got in…" he closed his eyes, as if trying to decide what to do.

"I'll be fine," I said, "The curses… must have only been for you…" something clicked. "When you were in that tamers body, right?" I asked, "Because I bet the Hikari didn't know you'd come back!"

"Maybe," Krad said, "But I don't want to risk it again." I shivered in disgust and hatred. Hatred of the Hikari, for fearing the one creation of theirs that had actually been perfect. Well, would have been perfect, if a Niwa hadn't interfered. "You should go though. I'm explaining the 'tamer and tamed' idea to her."

"Alright," I said, "But if you change your mind, come in, okay?" He nodded, and let go of me. I turned and carefully walked up to where my mom was standing.

"So, you're trapped in someone else's body?" She asked, "Weird. I wonder if I can fix that…"

"It would take quite a bit of magic," Krad replied, "And I doubt you're trained. But I cannot enter here, so I will introduce you to my tamer, Raiden." With that, Krad changed into a cold looking, black haired, blue eyed boy. He looked about fifteen, and with the exception of his hair, looked exactly like Satoshi. He even dressed a bit like him, although his clothes were messier, as if they needed to be ironed. It took me a second to figure out who he was. Satoshi's grandfather, I figured after a second.

"Hello," my mom said, "I'm Pheo." Raiden nodded, but said nothing. He glanced around and then punched a six or seven digit number into a keypad by the door. I guessed the lock was pretty sophisticated for the age.

"Please come in," Raiden said, "I hope you are okay?" My mom nodded, and followed him inside, pulling off her filthy shoes just inside the door. I followed, with one last glance at Krad. He nodded, encouraging me to follow Raiden, so I did. I felt a slight shock when I passed through the door, but nothing that stopped me, so I kept walking. "It isn't much, compared to where I used to live, but…" he gestured at the inside of the house sadly. "It's the only place I could afford."

"You live alone?" My mom asked incredulously. Raiden nodded silently.

"My mom died last year. My father…" his eyes turned hard. "My father left us when I was three. Because _he _was gone. Our curse had been passed on to me."

"Your curse?" She asked him, "You don't mean Krad, do you?"

"Krad is the Hikari's curse, as he has been for generations," Raiden answered. "He is the protector of our artwork. But he causes us great pain, every time he takes us over." My mom took a step back. I would have been happy to walk out then, but something held me. Krad must have wanted me to see this. "But I do not think about him much. Come, I'll show you where you can sleep." She and I followed Raiden down a hallway. "Again, it isn't much, but I hope you like it." It was plain, but large, with an empty feeling to it.

"It's quiet nice, actually," my mom looked impressed.

"I'm glad you like it." Raiden said, "Should I leave you now?" He seemed awkward, unsure of himself.

My mom shrugged, "Do you know if they'll accept American credit cards here?" She asked.

"Well, I think so…" Raiden said, "But I've never had to find out. Your Japanese is flawless though, so you could ask someone at the mall, if you were planning on going there."

"Cool, thanks!" My mom said, she clicked her fingers, and the seaweed smell that had been drifting off of her was gone. I would have to learn how to do that. Maybe I'd ask Towa sometime. "I'll see you in a bit then." She walked out, pausing to pull on her shoes, and then she was gone. I followed her out, but walked over to Krad.

"I'm going to take us to her first lesson," Krad said. I nodded, and everything went black again. Then the world rematerialized, and we were in the air. Instantly, my wings snapped open, catching the air. I looked down, but I didn't recognize where we were. "This is where our skyscraper is now." Krad said. I looked down again, but there weren't any kind of skyscrapers. Instead, there were just a few buildings, the tallest maybe five stories in height. (Well, it was hard to tell hovering over a thousand feet in the air!)

"Wow," I said, "It's so… different." Just then, a streak of silver shot past me; closely followed by a blur of white that I recognized as Krad.

"Come on!" Krad called to me, and we took off after them. I'd never flown as fast as this before, I must have been passing forty miles an hour, maybe fifty, I don't know. My sense of speed is about as good as my sense of distance. In other words, about as good as a brick is for open heart surgery. I was definitely the slowest of the four of us, but this was a first for me. And I was gaining speed with every stroke of my wings, although the spot where Krad had stabbed me still hurt. My hair whipped around my face, and I brushed it away impatiently as I caught up to Krad.

"Please explain what's going on!" I yelled to him. Just then a burst of green light flashed just ahead of us, and I stopped so fast I flipped. I realized how hard I was breathing, but some instinct told me what to do. I held out my right hand, palm towards the barrier, and allowed my magic to gather at the tips of my fingers. Then I closed my fist and the sparks flew towards the wall, which melted, and flew on.

"Impressive," Krad said, "It took Pheo three weeks to learn that."

"Glad to hear it," I said, strangely upset that she had been brought into the conversation. _You are _not_ jealous that Krad liked her. _I told myself. _Besides, he just said that I did something better than her. And she's your _mom! '_Course, that just makes it stranger…_

"Are you okay?" Krad asked, then, "Look out!" I looked up, and pulled my wings tight against my back in my first real dive. Imagine being on a rollercoaster that's dropping, except there's no track. Or car, for that matter. But at least I didn't hit the glider. It would've turned me into a Gray pancake for sure. Krad was trailing just behind me, and I leveled out to let him catch up with me. He did so quickly, and we continued following my mom and Krad.

"Really though," I said, "What's going on here?"

"Training," Krad replied simply, "Magic, combat, flight…" he trailed off. I didn't question him further, but instead pressed on after my mom, intent on trying to finish the course before her, silver-gray energy gathering on my wings. Krad followed me, his golden hair streaming out behind him. Sparks of gold flew off his wings, reminding me painfully of my dad, Oro. (Oro means 'gold' in Spanish, if you didn't know) If I was back in my old world, we'd be going on our annual hunting trip about now, towards the end of summer. We'd always go hunting for a week, then bring what we managed to kill (if anything) home for the winter. I'd acquired quite a taste for venison in the years I'd been hunting… but I'm getting off subject. I was slowly gaining on my mom, and I hadn't seen any more traps. Or set any off. But suddenly, I hit something. Nothing was there, as far as I could see, but the fact that a stream of blood was running down the side of my face told me otherwise.

"Krad," I said, stopping him as he came closer, "I can't get past this." Sure, I hadn't done anything, but I wasn't sure what to do. He touched the side of my face, and I felt the cut heal. I also felt a shiver go up my spine at his touch. Then he proceeded to blast the barrier in front of us apart, at least it looked like it. I tried to fly forward, and I got past where I'd struck my face.

"One of my barriers," Krad explained. "Almost impossible to get through."

"Really," I said, "How did you get it to be invisible?" Krad didn't answer for a few minutes.

"It's an old spell," he said, "You might want to dive right here." I did so without question, and felt a field of magic pass over me. I loved the feeling of the wind blowing through my wings, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was troubling Krad. Or was that just in his memories? But I continued to press on, feeling that I grew stronger with every beat of my wings. Krad stayed just behind me, occasionally telling me to dive or dodge some invisible trap, which I did mechanically. Finally I heard Krad call for me to land, and I practically dropped out of the sky, wondering how far I'd flown.

"No offense," I said, "But you were quite the slave driver back then." We'd landed in what looked like a meadow, but it smelled sort of funny. Like gas, I realized as I saw a bulldozer sitting there, idling. I grit my teeth in anger, but held my tongue.

"None taken," Krad replied, "I know." I followed him closer to where his past self and my mom were standing, but even as I walked forward, Raiden regained control. By force, I guessed.

"Aww, come on," my mom teased, "Now I'm going to have to walk home." She smiled, and Raiden managed a small grin. Then she stretched her wings and folded them more comfortably against her back. She was wearing her jacket, but a new pair of jeans, a black tee-shirt, and a pair of black high tops. "Well, come on," she said, and began to walk off. I noticed she was shaky, and I suppose Raiden did too, because he caught up to her and she put an arm around his shoulders.

"They were close, those two," Krad said, "Like brother and sister." I nodded, and began to follow them, but Krad put an arm on my shoulder.

"I need to show you this first," he said, "My memories aren't quite as clear when Raiden was in command." Again, everything fizzled away into nothingness, and reappeared. Now we were standing on a rooftop. Krad was holding his sword; my mom's sword, actually.

"You know your assignment," Krad was telling her, "If Dark can be killed, I will be free." He gave her the sword, which shrank when she took it. I glanced over at Krad.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked him.

"You have no idea how badly I wanted him killed," Krad answered, "And I thought I'd found a way to get my own body anyway. Dark was my last obstacle." I sighed and nodded. I should have known, it would have been obvious to most.

"How could you get your own body?" I asked, "I mean, it wouldn't matter now, of course, but… I'm curious." I shrugged.

Krad shook his head. "I don't mean simply my own form. This would break me completely away from the Hikari line, but with Dark still alive… I didn't know if we would merge or not."

"But how is that possible?" I asked again.

"It would require something that no Hikari would ever think of giving me. Perhaps Master Ryuu would have, if he had known, but… For me to leave the Hikari line behind would require a blessing from my tamer." I almost said 'that's it?' but then I realized that his tamers would rather damn him.

"Of course," my mom said, nodding her head.

"Remember," Krad warned, "Three days is all you'll have."

"I know," she replied, "But why do I have the sword?"

"The Toki no Kagi will respond to you," Krad replied, "Because you created it, you will have the most control over it." (AN: Kagi = key. Toki no Kagi = Key of Time)

I looked at Krad. "She created the Toki no-?" I couldn't remember the last part.

"The Toki no Kagi," Krad said, "Yes. It was a true symbol of her power, the key of time… it could actually create time, and take it away. It was even more powerful than the Toki no Kusabi, or the Toki no Byoushin. It could kill, and it could heal, until I cursed it." I blinked, wondering why the wound in my wing was suddenly throbbing. I looked at it, stretching the wing out to do so. To my surprise, it was bleeding a bit, a tiny trickle of crimson shining on the gray feathers. I quickly folded it against my back, hoping Krad hadn't seen.

My mom took off, and Krad changed the scene for what I thought might be the last time. At least, I hoped it was the last time, because I was beginning to get disoriented from the changes of scene and altitude. When we reappeared, it was night, and we were still on the skyscraper. My mom and Dark were sitting at the edge of the roof. Dark seemed calm enough, he was talking about an artwork, but my mom was tense and her eyes were everywhere at once, flickering around. She whispered something to Dark, and he stopped in midsentence.

"This is when she betrayed me," Krad said. I watched as my mom drew the sword from around her neck. She had been wearing it tucked into her shirt on a silver chain. "Go closer," Krad said, "You need to hear what she's saying." The sword grew in her hands, until it was full size.

I walked closer, until I could hear her words. And what I heard chilled me to the bone. I'd always known my mom was a poet, of course; I'd put some of her poems to music. But I'd never heard this one, or even thought my mom was capable of creating something so chilling, so strange, and so haunting. "Come to me my angel, beautiful dark winged angel," she was whispering, "I've earned your trust Dark Mousey,_ now run from me, now fly!_ If you come to me my angel, beautiful dark winged angel, Krad will be waiting for you… come to me… and die._ Run from me Dark, fly!" _She shoved him off the roof suddenly, her eyes bright. I saw him snap his wings open and hover a few feet back from the edge of the roof. "Krad," she said quietly, "You saved me, and I will never forget that. But I will not kill. I cannot. And if you want to stop me leaving, do it now." Her blue eyes glittered with hatred. I flew up next to her, wishing she could see me, but at the same time glad she couldn't.

"Pheo!" Krad exploded out of apparently nowhere, "What are you doing?" His eyes glittered with fury.

"Leaving," my mom answered, "Or else dying in the attempt." She held the Toki no Kagi in a loose double handed grip, ready to strike.

"Pheo-" Krad began, but my mom flipped in midair and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying backwards, gasping for breath.

"Don't try to stop me Krad," she warned, "You know what I'm capable of doing." Her wings were glowing bright silver now, illuminating her and the air around her. "You know I can kill you."

Krad flew back towards her, and I could tell he wouldn't dare try anything. Yet she shot a bolt of magic at him, forcing him to act. He threw up a shield, but it seemed weak. His eyes were shining with malice, but I saw how he was holding himself back. He truly didn't want to hurt her. "Pheo," he said, "Stop this. Calm down!"

"You're one to talk!" She spat back, hurling another bolt of magic at him. Again he raised a shield, but it shattered. "Give up!"

"You were the one who called me out here!" Krad yelled, "Do you want to fight me?"

My mom hovered in the air for just one second. "No Krad," she whispered. "I don't." Then she turned and flew off.

Krad flew up to me, his white wings beating steady. "Come Gray," he said, "Time to be getting back." I looked at him, and realized that it must have been even worse than I'd thought for him, coming back to this. "Maybe I can get Dark to show you his half of the story someday." His tone was subdued, tired.

"Thank you," I said, "Thank you for showing me this." Krad didn't reply, but everything faded again, and we were back in Satoshi's house. Dark, Lumi, Towa, and Argentine had left, and I could hear someone moving in the kitchen. Fenga was snoozing on the floor, still guarding the sword, and Ryoushi was swooping in and out of the window. But something was wrong.

"Some memories," a voice behind us said, "Are stronger than others, Krad."

AN: Alright, you know the drill! R&R! Oh, and please check out the poll on my profile! I'd like to see your opinion for Lumi's familiar!


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Disclaimer: Don't own DN Angel… Blah, blah, blah… let's just get to the story, eh?

I whirled around, fully expecting to see my mom, but it was only Satoshi. "I got dragged through myself, and I must say, your memories are strange." He looked at Krad strangely. "I never even knew his name," he said quietly, then left. I watched him leave, feeling slightly sick. My wing throbbed with the beat of my heart, but it felt like it had stopped bleeding.

"I'm sorry Gray," Krad said.

"Don't be," I muttered. "Thank you. I think I'm going to lie down for a while… all that flying wore me out." Krad nodded and left. I stretched out the bed, my wings spread out on either side of me, my hands behind my head. I had no intention of sleeping. _Fenga? _

_Yes Gray? _She thought back instantly.

_Can you come here? _

_Can I finish something real quick? I haven't eaten in a while._

_Of course. _I replied, smiling. But almost instantly, I heard her padding up the stairs. "Well Fenga," I said, teasing her, "You certainly took your time." She barked at me, smiling her wolfish smile.

_There was bacon, _she thought. _I couldn't resist, even though it was a little burnt. Well, more than a little. _I laughed.

"Alright, well I've got a mission for you. I'm too tired to fly anymore, so can be my messenger?"

_That depends. _Fenga told me, _I can't talk with normal humans. _

"That's fine. Just grab me a piece of paper." She scurried off, if a wolf can scurry, and returned a few minutes later, a scrap of paper in her mouth. I took my whip from around her neck and willed it to turn it into a quill. To my surprise, it worked, and I scratched a quick message to Argentine.

_I need a spell, something that Satoshi could use to separate himself from Krad. He said it would take a blessing?  
-Gray_

"Now take that to Argentine," I whispered to her, turning the quill back into a whip and winding around my waist. "If he's not there, give it to Towa." Fenga barked and took the note, and I curled up and slept. I didn't dream, not even a flash of color.

Candra's POV

I felt sick. Dark said I looked fine, but I felt like I had the flu. And Dark is well… Dark. And he would say I look fine if that's what I wanted to hear. But Emiko (before she left) said I looked fine too, and she wouldn't lie to me. At least, I don't think. "Blech," I muttered, "That's what I feel like."

_Hey! _A voice said in my head. My first thought was somewhere along the lines of 'oh dear God, I need a psychiatrist!' Then the voice continued. _It's me! You're familiar… _I suppose the voice sensed my confusion, because it continued._ Oh good grief. Like Fenga, ya know? _

_Umm, yeah. _I thought back. _Who and what are you, exactly? _I'd been wondering why my familiar hadn't appeared yet, but I had kept it to myself. I'd been getting better at that.

_I don't have a final form yet. _The voice answered, _I'm Murasaki though. _I instantly translated "Murasaki" into "Violet", and decided I would like my familiar.

_Hey, not that I don't mind you there, but how do I get you out of my head? _

_I do… not know. _Murasaki answered. _You should ask Mr. What's-his-face. Sorry, but I don't know any names yet. The one with the cute rabbity familiar. _

_That would be Dark. _I decided it wouldn't hurt, so I headed to the kitchen. I thought that was where he, Daisuke and Satoshi were.

"Candra!" Dark called. Yep, there they were.

"Hey Dark," I replied, "I'm hearing voices. My familiar, apparently."

Satoshi arched his eyebrows, while Wiz jumped into my arms and "Kyuued," which made me stroke him. "What's her name?" Dark asked.

"Murasaki," I replied, Wiz jumping onto my shoulder. My heart was somewhere in my ears, which hurt more than you'd think, and I felt dizzy now. _I'm not going to pass out again. I'm not, am I? _

_No, just sit down. _Murasaki answered. I did as she said, pulling up a chair. I thought for sure I was going to throw up, and I wanted to fly so badly… _Go ahead. _Murasaki told me. _It might help. _

"I'm going somewhere," I said quietly, grabbing my shoes.

"May I?" Dark asked as I pulled my shoes on.

"Why not?" I replied, "I'm not going anywhere in particular." He smirked, and Wiz jumped onto his shoulder. I had forgotten he was there, actually, and was startled to see him.

We walked outside, and I took off instantly, my wings catching the air like twin sails. I was three hundred feet up in a matter of seconds. (Unlike Gray, I have a pretty accurate sense of distance.) Dark was just behind me, and I took a deep breath, calming with every stroke of my wings. I closed my eyes against the bright sun, wondering if it was the best idea to be flying in broad daylight. _Who cares? _I thought, twirling upward and diving down again. I was laughing, the wind practically ripping my hair out of my scalp. I actually liked my hair black; I'd been considering dying it back in my old world.

_Are you feeling better? _Murasaki asked me.

_Much, _I replied. _Very much. _Dark flew up next to me, smirking that self-satisfied smirk of his, Wiz on his shoulder- wait a second… "Dark, is that Wiz?" I asked.

"Yup," he replied, "Betcha you forgot I had my own wings?" I laughed and nodded, and we flew on. I still didn't have a clue where we were going, until I saw the wind farm. I seemed to recall Dark bringing Risa here once in the anime (It was strange thinking of DN Angel now) and fighting Krad in a different episode (was it the one where the Rutile was introduced?). I carefully landed on top of one of the giant windmills, feeling a generator hum somewhere below me. Dark landed beside me, and Wiz jumped onto what he probably thought was solid ground. I didn't know why he would think that, seeing as he almost fell to his death off of one of these… I could never decide what they were called. Windmill didn't sound quite right. Was it a turbine?

"I feel so much better," I muttered. I hadn't known how horrible I'd been feeling until I was standing on a giant windmill in a field of giant windmills with a guy who wasn't really a guy but who I was completely head over heels for.

And that was when everything went black.

Gray's POV

I woke to Fenga's barking, and a feeling of such insane worry I sat bolt upright. My first thought? If anyone can remember what their first thought is in the morning, or whenever it is you get up (Sometime around noon, for me), I'd like to meet them. It was probably something like, "What the…?" But it was quickly replaced with 'Lumi's in trouble.' I leapt up and ran downstairs, not even feeling my bare feet hitting the stairs.

Krad was sitting downstairs, his hair singed. Satoshi's shirt sleeves had been burned off, and Ryoushi was sniffing the floor as though he was looking for table scraps. He looked up at me and barked. Fenga replied. I hadn't even been aware of her following me downstairs.

_He says that there was a grease fire and Satoshi tried to put it out with water. _I laughed at that, but then the feeling of panic resettled.

"Where's Lumi?" I asked. "And Dark, for that matter?" Krad looked at me.

"They've both been missing for a while now," he said.

"Cand- Lumi said she was going on a flight." Satoshi said, "Dark accompanied her." Sometimes it was nice to have a police commander around. "They _have _been gone a while though. Oh, and school starts next week."

"Oh joy," I said, "More good news." As if on cue, the window shattered behind me.

It was Dark, gasping for breath. "Lumi's been kidnapped."

AN: I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm so sosososososososososososo sorry it took me so long to update! And then I come with such a short chapter… I'm sorry! Please forgive me! (And review?)


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

AN: Yikes… I can't believe this is going so far… But I'm happy!

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. I do, however, own… uh, I must own something…

…

"What?" I asked. There was no way. No way at all… "How, when, why not you? I mean, no offense, but you're the thief."

"Wind farm…" Dark gasped, and I noticed with shock that Wiz was on his shoulder and he was using his own wings, "I couldn't… see who… van… I think it was black…"

"Sit down and catch your breath," Satoshi said, "And tell me exactly what happened." Have I mentioned how glad I was to have a police commander with me? Dark didn't sit, but Wiz jumped over to Ryoushi (now curled at Krad's feet, gratefully licking his paws) and started talking, kyuuing, whatever you want to call his speech.

"He says they were on one of the turbines," Krad said, "He thinks maybe Candra was hit with… dammit Ryoushi, talk sense!" Well, that was unexpected. Fenga whined and walked over to Wiz, who tried talking to her.

_Lumi was hit with a sleep stick… _she thought. _Krad's right, that doesn't make any sense at all. _But I understood.

"A dart," I said, "A hypodermic dart. Go on Wiz."

_He says she fell, and people caught her and took her away in a black van. _I repeated what Fenga said, and waited for more, but nothing came. I listened to the silence that filled the room, then walked over and fixed the window. Magic was coursing through my veins and I felt out of control.

"Why are we standing here?" I said, "Why aren't we looking for her?" I had repaired the window so that I wouldn't fly out of it, but it was right there… breakable…

"Because," Satoshi replied, "We have nothing to go by but the color of the van." As soon as he said it, I felt like an idiot.

"Then what are we going to do?" I snapped, "We can't very well go to the police!" Fenga snarled, and I realized I needed to calm down before she killed someone.

"Calm down," Krad said, "I think we should wait for them to contact us."

"What do you mean?" Dark asked.

"What do you think?" He snapped back, "Ransom, threats… what I would have done."

_Key word there being would. _Fenga told me. I smiled in spite of myself.

"Maybe we should turn on the T.V. then?" I said, "Since no one actually knows where to send a ransom… or threat…" I trailed off. "I need some time to think," I said, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Fenga trotted out after me, but I told her to stay. "I need to be alone." I took wing, riding a thermal and leveling out to see the city spread out beneath me. It felt so nice, not being hampered by my clumsy feet almost a thousand feet above the ground. I slowly angled myself upwards, then, when I was flying almost vertically, pulled my wings in and spun, once, twice, three times before flying upwards once again.

It was then that I first became aware of being followed. I glanced back, but no one was there. I glanced down, but it was that second that I flew through a cloud. I emerged, shivering and wet, a few seconds later. _There should have been a sign. Something like 'caution, low floating cloud'. _Unless-was I really flying that high? _Nah. _I glanced down anyways, and my wings locked for a second. Apparently I _was _flying that high. The cars were mere specks below, the shorter skyscrapers looking like toothpicks. It would have felt amazing; except for the fact I was being followed.

Candra's POV

When I woke up on a bed and could only see black, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Everything around me was black. I thought this was a bit strange, or some crazy person had kidnapped me. I mean, even the light bulbs were the black light ones that you never saw outside of the Halloween season. I sat up, and saw there was a note on the black bedside table. Written in silver pen on black stationary. I was really freaking out now.

_Hello, _the note read, _I hope you are well. Don't be afraid of us, we aren't going to harm you. We, well, I, thought you might like the black. Hope you don't mind. We'll release you soon enough. I'll visit you soon. (?) _

_K.S. _

I thought I might pass out. K.S. must have been Keiji Saga, the slightly insane television producer (in my opinion), which meant I was probably somewhere in Saga Entertainment. _Mura? _Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. A cute black hare, with vibrant violet socks up her front legs and violet eyes that were so much like Dark's, hopped across the bed and into my lap.

_Yes? _I stroked her head, slightly shocked at her appearance. She was so cute!

"I- What happened?" I asked.

_I don't know. _Mura replied. _I appeared only a few minutes before you awoke. This isn't where you live though, I know that much._

"I think we're at Saga Entertainment," I whispered, "But why?" There was a knock on the door, and I glanced at it, finding it only because of its silver handle. "Who is it?" I called.

"My name's Keiji," a voice said, "Can I come in?" I bristled.

"Yes," I said, biting back several responses that probably would have gotten me deemed psychotic. The door opened, and the 'famous' Keiji Saga walked in, Funabashi two steps behind. He sat down beside me on the bed, Funabashi taking a post by the door. I couldn't have been happier. I bet I could get myself out of here in less than a day!

"So, I have a few questions for you…" Keiji began.

"And I have one for _you,_" I shot back. "Why did you kidnap me?" I stood up. Keiji looked stunned.

"We didn't kidnap you… we were trying to save you!" He said, "You wouldn't have been the first girl the phantom thief kidnapped." I laughed, Murasaki bounding onto my shoulder.

"I was there of my own will," I said, "If you haven't noticed, I have _wings._" I spread them in emphasis, Mura bounding onto my head so as not to be struck. They were stiff, but nothing was broken. "When are you releasing me?"

"You said you only had one question for me," Keiji said, "So I'll begin."I could've killed him, but something in me told me to keep my head. "What were you doing on top of a wind turbine with Dark?" I didn't know it was possible for hares to hiss, but that's what Murasaki was doing. Hissing low from her throat, like a cat.

"And why are you so interested in my social life?" I spat. "Stalker… kidnapper… what else do you specialize in?"

"Kidnapping…? I still don't quite know what you're getting at," Keiji said conversationally. I had to put my hands behind my back to prevent myself from breaking his nose.

"You brought me here against my will," I said, "And you're holding me here. That would be called kidnapping." I closed my eyes.

"So, you're saying that I kidnapped you," Keiji said.

"I never thought you were this stupid!" I said. "Yes, you kidnapped me. Dark will be here soon to get me out of this place… I feel like I'm in some sort of morgue!" I didn't even bother mentioning he'd have an equally angry/furious Gray and a probably somewhat reluctant Krad with him. Unless there would be killing. Then Krad would probably be the one rigging bombs. Morbidly enough, that made me smile slightly. "You can go now," I said. Somewhat reluctantly, Keiji left. Funabashi followed him, closing the door behind him. I heard the lock click.

Gray's POV

I was feeling decidedly unsettled, but decided to head for where I'd left my guitar. I hoped it would still be there, and at least somewhat undamaged. I kept trying to tell myself no one could follow me at this altitude, but it was probably not impossible. What with gliders and airplanes and any other flying machines, it could probably even be easy. I swerved through another cloud, but I didn't lose the feeling, even though I was now freezing cold and wet. Up and down I went, zigzagging through every cloud I saw, even though I felt miserable. My wings were sopping now from the moisture in them, and they felt like they weighed an extra five pounds each. (Quite a bit more, when you think about it.) Finally, I got to the rooftop where I'd left my guitar. It was still there, which was a surprise, but an even bigger one was that it was still in perfect condition, in-tune, everything. Perfect. And there was a small chimney sitting there… I walked over and sat with my back to it, wondering if I dare try to play anything. Did I even remember any songs?

"Let's see…" I've talked to myself for as long as I can remember. I don't think about it anymore. "Sparks Fly… no…" I love Taylor Swift's music, but I hated that the songs were almost always the 'she loved the guy, the guy didn't see her' sort of genre. "Nothing Nightwish, I need a lot of help getting acoustic versions of those… Crazier?" I thought about it, running the lyrics through my head, trying out some of the fingerings, and decided to give it a try. Try being the key word in that sentence. I'd played it once, but it hadn't worked. People I didn't even know would walk up to me and ask me who I was singing about. That had been the last time I'd sung at a school talent show. I stretched my wings out behind me so that they'd dry faster, and picked up the first measure. (AN: I'm not going to put the lyrics, but if you listen to the song, you should figure out why Gray chose it.) And then I went and had one of my stupid visions.

_I was falling through a black sea, my wings being torn from my back feather by feather, and every time a feather fell from my wings, a white hot pain pierced through my side. The pain wouldn't end, but I couldn't scream. I felt like my lungs had been ripped out, but my heart was hammering up in my ears. Just as quickly as I had been falling, I stopped, like someone had caught me. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone. Then something shot out of nowhere and wrapped around my wrist. It was a chain, burning white hot. I wrenched my hand away before it could tighten, but another wrapped itself around my neck. I choked, grabbing at it and trying to pull it away from me, but it only got tighter. It was burning me, it was going to go straight through my neck… no, it was relaxing… I was still choking, my hair had caught fire, the smoke was making my eyes tear up- or was I crying? _

"Gray," I jerked my head up, gasping, my hands flying up to my throat. They found my necklace, but nothing else. My guitar was sitting by my side, and Krad was kneeling in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. "Gray, what happened?" I couldn't answer, it couldn't have been real. I closed my eyes again. "Gray!" I took a deep, shuddering breath, and tried to open my eyes, but they just wanted to close so badly, and I just wanted to fade away so badly…

"I saw… the Black Wings," I muttered, trying hard to stay awake. "I saw… oh…" I couldn't say it. "I saw the trap… in the room… without windows." I choked and felt the chain draw tighter against my neck. I drew my knees up to my chest, feeling completely vulnerable. I was scared, I won't lie. I was crying, which was probably worse than both the chain and the vision, but only because it was so embarrassing. I understood one of the lines in Rakuen now though. I'd always thought Krad had meant that he'd trapped Dark in the fridge. Lumi had been the pervert about it though, which was something I hadn't been used to.

"What do you mean?" Krad asked. "What do you mean the…" I felt the shock as the phrase registered within him. I felt the world go black, so blissfully black…

AN: Thought this would be the best place to end it. I'll do more from Lumi's POV next chapter, but I'm feeling like it's a little… I don't know. It feels 'off' somehow. What do you think?


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Disclaimer: If I owned DN Angel, Dark would cease to exist! (Not really. I'd keep him around, but he would most definitely _not _be one of the main characters.) Needless to say, I do not own DN Angel.

…

Lumi's POV

I heard the lock click as Keiji and Funabashi left the room, and Mura leapt off of my head and into my arms. I stroked her head and tried to contact Dark, or at least see where he was so that I could tell myself that there was a bright, sunny world outside of my prison of black. But I couldn't truly see through his eyes, and his mind was only full of worry.

_Lumi? _I heard his voice in my head, concerned and with that familiar ghost of a smirk that I supposed was like an accent to him.

_Dark, can you hear me? _I thought frantically.

_Where are you? Are you hurt? _

_I'm fine… I think I'm somewhere in Saga Entertainment. _I felt rage explode inside of him.

_Saga Entertainment? What does Keiji want with you?_

_How do you know it was-? Never mind. _I'd almost forgotten Keiji had "asked" Daisuke to be in that commercial. I sat down on the bed, and Mura squirmed out of my arms and onto the quilt. She sat there, staring at me with those violet eyes of hers, until I started feeling uncomfortable. I'd lost my connection with Dark, and all I could think about now was why I had been kidnapped. What would Keiji want with me? Almost instinctively, I snapped my fingers and watched a deep blue spark leap between them. _Blue… I like that. _It wasn't anything… fancy, per se, but it was pretty, and rather mysterious. Me.

_Mistress, _Mura's thoughts were strangely urgent. _You need to- I know it is not my place to say, but you must see into Krad's thoughts. Something is wrong._

_Murasaki, don't call me mistress. Call me Lumi, like everyone else. _With this mild reprimand, I began to try and contact Krad.

Krad's POV

Someone was poking at the back of my mind, but I ignored the feeling. Satoshi-sama had done it often enough, but I'd never answered, and didn't now. But the feeling persisted. I glared at him. "What is it?" I snapped, but he only looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked, but I didn't answer. It had to be him. Candra would never… and as far as I was concerned, Gray would have tried to talk to me earlier. I shoved the thoughts out of my head as Emiko walked in. Before any of us could even ask, she shook her head and sat down.

"I've never heard of anything like it," she sighed. The warmth and cheer that I had braced myself for wasn't there, not that I had any means to expect it. When I'd finally gotten Gray back to Satoshi-sama's house, she was having trouble simply breathing. I knew what she meant by 'the trap in the room without windows', but that had been destroyed so long ago, there was no possible way it could wake up… or be repaired.

"Argentine!" I snarled, standing up. That ridiculous artwork… I should have forced his destruction when I'd had the chance. He'd recreated it. The one trap created by the Hikari's that had almost killed me. And something was still trying to get my attention. _What? _I snarled mentally, expecting Ryoushi's whimper.

_Finally! _It was Candra, which was surprising.

_What do you want? _I asked, annoyed. _Gray's half dead, and you aren't going to be much help at the moment. _I felt her shock as I turned towards the stairs that would take me down to the Niwa's underground passages.

_What do you-? _I shook my head and blocked her out. She would not be allowed to distract me from the pleasure of ripping that worthless artwork's entrails out. I tried summoning the Toki no Kagi, and when that failed, I summoned a feather, blazing white with magic.

_Today Argentine, _I thought. _Today you will finally cease to exist. _

Lumi's POV

I flopped onto my back, staring at the ceiling as the news sank in. _Gray's half dead… _Krad had cut me off. I didn't know why, and I honestly didn't care, but the news… I had to get out of here. I sat up and walked over to the doorknob, wondering if I would get some cool weapon like Gray's whip… Krad's sword… a magical lock pick set, something like that. I seemed to recall Gray's whip turning into a sword, but I still didn't have anything to transform… unless I could use something in the room. I scanned the area around myself and Mura, but nothing jumped out at me. Until a tiny, almost invisible glint caught my eye.

"Mura, what was that?" I had her lead me over to it, and I ran my hands carefully over the wall, searching for whatever could have reflected the black light from my dark prison. My hands touched something soft and heavy. I recognized the feeling from drama club in school: velvet drapes! _Where there are curtains, there should be a curtain rod… _I spread my wings and tried to launch myself high enough so that I could grab onto and hopefully remove the rod, but I ended up smacking my head on the ceiling. It must have been made of stone, because it didn't give at all like plaster or anything else. I sat down hard, gingerly touching the spot where my head had connected with the ceiling. Already an egg sized lump was forming there, and I winced.

_Here, _Mura hopped over to me. _Put your head down. _I did as she asked, and she stood on her hind legs and pressed one of her front paws against the lump. I gasped from the pain, but it quickly subsided.

"How-?" I asked, amazed.

_Familiars can heal their masters or mistresses, _Mura replied. _It's a talent that is… born within us. _I stroked her head quietly for a few minutes to calm myself down, then decided I'd try to get the drapes open. My eyes were itching for sunlight, and the black light did nothing to sooth them. I stood carefully and felt for the heavy velvet drapes, and tried yanking them open, but they didn't part. I felt what should be the center of the curtain, but they seemed to be stitched together.

"You're kidding me," I muttered. "This isn't happening. Mura, can you bite me or something? Get me to wake up?" Mura shook her head.

_You are awake. I'm sorry, but this is, at the moment, your reality. You might want to stay here… I sense that a trap has been unleashed. _

"What do you mean?" I asked, but Mura wouldn't answer. "What trap? Tell me!"

_I can't! _Mura said pathetically, _I want to, but I really can't! _I sighed and ruffled her ears, sitting down against the wall.

"Don't worry about it," I said, "I suppose I'm just being paranoid." I wasn't sure about that, but what could I do? I couldn't see the sun; I couldn't very well try to figure out where exactly I was… "I miss Dark," I muttered. Then I crawled onto the bed, clicked off the light, and was asleep in five minutes, Mura curled beside me.

Krad's POV

I stormed down to where Argentine should have been, but the coward had run from me. I could sense his presence fading and wished I had use of my wings. _Ryoushi! _

_Yes master? _

_Track Argentine. _

_Yes master. _

_Keep him from where he is going._

_Yes master._

_And keep him alive._

_Yes master. _I smiled, anticipating the screams that would sound in several seconds. Ryoushi was a better tracker than Towa, and much faster. But what I heard sent me running towards Argentine even faster. Wild, high-pitched yelping was echoing towards me.

_Ryoushi?_

_Master… _His reply was faint, andI swore. If Ryoushi was in trouble, my worst fears had just been confirmed. The artwork that had trapped Gray was the most deadly one created by the Hikari. Meant to be a healer, a peacekeeper, it had become tainted by my original master and turned against him. I learned of it only by digging deep into his worst memories, and staying awake to view his nightmares.

Syerdtsye had found me at last.

…

AN: Krad… your past keeps haunting you. Syerdtsye is the best translation I could come up with for "Heart", and it's Russian because I could _not _find a halfway trustworthy Japanese Romaji translator… if you know of one; please send me a link to it! (You'll probably have to space it out.) Also, I finally did a chapter without using Gray's POV! (It was harder than I thought it would be.) Sorry it's so short… I just don't seem to have any long chapters in me right know, I guess. Please R&R! Oh, and I'm being told I'll be receiving a boatload of homework soon… so I don't know when my next update will be.

Oh! Almost forgot… there should be a poll on my profile within the next week, I hope. Question: What should Gray and Krad's first kiss be like? (Should they get one?) It won't be for a while, so don't get yoiur hopes up... but because I have never been kissed, I'm having issues with choices and all… so if you've got any ideas, please PM me. I'll be taking them until the end of next week, then I'll set up the poll. Thanks!


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

I'm sick of saying the disclaimer… Krad and Dark are currently trying to kill each other, so here's Satoshi… no, he just got stabbed, never mind. Here's Daisuke… who was just incinerated… here's Wiz!

Wiz: Kyuu! Kyuuuu!

Me: He says I don't own DN Angel, and don't worry about Daisuke and Satoshi. Apparently anime characters don't die when they're stabbed and/or incinerated. Interesting… I must test that someday.

…

Argentine's POV

I walked through my own secret corridors, the ones that I had trapped Krad's maiden in, looking for a book Kosuke-sama had asked for, when I heard the girl's voice coming through the walls. It sounded desperate; scared. I headed towards my door, and ran my hand along it. The wall melted away, and Gray almost punched me between the eyes.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as she pulled back.

"Just let me in," her voice sounded funny - weak, like she was having trouble breathing. "I- There's a chain…" I stepped aside and let her walk in, wondering why Fenga wasn't with her. After last time, I didn't think she'd trust me. She started walking down the hallway, and I had to jog to catch up with her.

"What did you want to tell me?" I asked. She turned to face me, and reached for her whip. It turned into a cruel looking sword, and it was then I realized how much trouble I was in.

"Die." I looked down, and saw her sword sprout from my chest. The world went black.

Krad's POV

Ryoushi's screams were becoming clearer, and I was trying to remember exactly why Syerdtsye had been so tricky to destroy the first time around, when I came around a corner and stopped dead. "Gray?" I asked. How had she gotten here? Had she managed the shake Syerdtsye's chains?

"Pah, fool," Gray snapped, "Don't you remember me?" Then it came back. Syerdtsye was a shape-shifter, taking on whatever form was closest to your heart. Or whomever you missed the most, or were thinking about. In my case… all three.

"What have you done to Gray?" I asked, glancing around for Ryoushi. He was thrown against a wall, blood trickling from his leg. A lizard sat next to him. _Take care of the more immediate threat first. _Easier said than done though. Seeing Ryoushi bleeding was quite a hit, because he'd never been hurt in the time he had served as my familiar, and the thought of having to release him was… painful. Familiars only serve and stay immortal for the length of time they are useful, and then they can be allowed to die. Dark and I have never had to release a familiar, and I hope to never have to.

"I?" Syerdtsye asked, "Why, I have captured the being closest to your heart, of course. Krad… I can't believe you would fall for a mortal piece of scum like her." I threw a bolt of energy at her, but she dodged and the blast shattered a small crown.

_The Crown of Alice. I'm going to kill that thief. _But I shoved the thought aside and leapt into the air, grateful for the extra room for my wings. "She isn't mortal, you replicated piece of filth!"

Syerdtsye rolled her eyes- Gray's eyes. Why was I fighting her? I couldn't fight Gray… _She isn't Gray, master, _Ryoushi reminded me, and I snapped out of my trance, just in time to hear Syerdtsye speaking again. In Gray's voice, of course.

"I might just have to prove that to you… Meet me tomorrow night at the fountain. I'm sure you know the place I'm speaking of." With that, she took off running down the corridors, and I landed next to Ryoushi, making no move to follow her. My mind was playing tricks on me, and there was still Argentine to deal with… but the lizard that I thought was the artwork scampered off as I approached, and I couldn't detect Argentine's presence within it.

"Ryoushi," I muttered, examining his leg. It was broken, along with two of his ribs, and his wings had disappeared.

_I think Argentine is… dead… _I jerked away from him, wondering what other artwork could even generate enough power to kill another. _Syerdtsye… he didn't repair her. Something triggered her awakening… something very powerful. _His eyes rolled back and his breathing slowed. I'd be able to set his leg, but his ribs… I'd have to heal those by magic, something I hated to do. I hadn't healed Gray's wing until the bone had been set simply because if the bone was set incorrectly… she wouldn't have ever been able to fly again. Ryoushi would have issues breathing if his ribs set poorly… and Argentine was dead, so I couldn't (as much as I would've hated doing so) ask for his help, and Towa? The stupid useless bird would be no help. _Dark…?_

"You know you'd rather die than let the thief within five feet of you," I replied, adjusting his leg until I felt it click. I shot a blast of magic into his leg, and he whimpered slightly.

_That feels much better… _He told me. I picked him up, being careful not to jar him, and started back upstairs.

Lumi's POV

When I woke up, it took me a few minutes to remember where I was. Murasaki had fallen asleep on my head, and I very carefully picked her up and put her on my pillow. She didn't stir. _Back to escape. _Instead of the curtain rod though, this time I grabbed the lamp sitting next to my bed. I closed my eyes and concentrated, and the bulb shorted out. _Perfect. _

Gray's POV

What can I say? I'd been barely able to breathe for about a day, and had begun to slip in and out of consciousness. Even when I was awake, black spots were swimming in front of my vision, and Fenga had done nothing but lie quietly at my feet for the last few hours. Emiko had come in several times to ask me how I was. The conversations would go somewhat like this:

Emiko: Are you feeling any better?

Me: No… Anything new?

Emiko: No, nothing yet. Argentine and Kosuke are in the library looking for what could have done this, but they haven't found much. (Apparently Kosuke and Daiki had come back from their research.)

That had been the past six or seven hours of my life, and I couldn't take it anymore. I tried sitting up, and choked. I propped myself up on my elbows until my breathing eased, and then Satoshi walked in. I couldn't believe my luck… or lack thereof.

"You really should be lying down," he said. I racked my brain for something to snap back at him, but he kept talking. "Krad found out what trapped you. An ancient artwork named Syerdtsye. It just killed Argentine. I think it's after Krad and Dark. It would explain why Lumi was kidnapped." I had to agree with his logic.

"Wait," I said, "She- it killed Argentine? How is that- I mean, can't he be repaired?" My voice was barely above a whisper, and I tasted blood in my throat. Krad walked in.

"He's beyond repair," he said, "Barely ashes. Satoshi, I need you to keep an eye on Ryoushi for me for a few days. Just to be sure his ribs set properly." It was only then that I realized that his familiar had been hurt.

"Where will you be?" I asked.

"Hunting," Krad replied. I didn't have to ask for whom.

"If she'll be of any use to you, take Fenga," I rasped. He nodded and she leapt off of the bed. Krad set Ryoushi down where she had been, and he whimpered slightly. "What happened?" I asked.

"Syerdtsye," Krad replied, "The heart that was originally to be for one of the Hikari's artworks. It was a ruined piece though. It took me two months to hunt down and kill it, and Dark stole practically all of the artworks at my master's home." His eyes flashed as he said that. "But it will be different this time. I won't let myself be fooled again." He looked at me once more, and I wished I didn't look like I was on the brink of death. Then he turned and left, Fenga walking at his side like a black shadow.

"What did he mean?" I whispered to Satoshi, "By 'I will not be fooled again'?" Satoshi sighed.

"I'm not sure… and he blocked me, so I'd have to research it. I wonder what he's done with the Toki no Kagi."

"I've got it," I said, "Fenga hid it under the bed while I was in Krad's memories. She was just telling me when you walked in." I gasped; I hadn't said such a long sentence in ages and I'd almost passed out. Of course, I was always almost passing out nowadays. I flipped over onto my side and closed my eyes. "You can take it, if you want. But don't destroy it yet."

"It's safer with you," Satoshi replied, "I'm almost certain Krad tried to summon it earlier, and if it's still there… you're much stronger than you think, Gray-san. I'm sure you can find some way to shake your chains." He walked out, and about two minutes later I realized what he'd called me; Gray-san instead of Gray.

_Maybe I'm hearing things? _Ah well, I didn't mind. Honorifics were something I'd have to get used to at some point or another. My cell phone rang, and I jumped. I'd totally forgotten about it in the time since my mom's last call. Even though I didn't feel like talking, I picked up. "Hello?"

"Gray, is that you? Speak English please; my Japanese is so rusty…" It was my mom, and I switched to English without thinking.

"Gomen, okaasan (1)," I replied jokingly, "It's just become automatic. How are you?"

"We're back at home," she replied, "I don't even want to know how you managed to get the bass drum onto the roof." I laughed, having forgotten about that until this moment. "You sound strange though. How's Azumano treating you?"

"I'm fine mom," I replied, "Just a cold. Daisuke and Lumi have already had it; it's nothing to worry about." I couldn't tell her. She'd order me to come back home, and my life would go back to normal. I would hate it.

"Alright, just making sure," she replied. Then I remembered something that had been bothering me. Something she had told Krad, when they had first met.

"Mom?"

"What is it?"

"What's your name?" I could hear a surprised silence on the other end of the line, and realized I should probably explain myself. "I mean, what name did your parents give you?"

A sigh, then: "Ella. I was born as Ella Hunter in America, to a mother to poor to care for me. She gave me up to the government, and I was taken to a genetic mutations lab, where I was given my wings. I never told Krad about this, or Dark."

"Sort of like Maximum Ride." I said, remembering the title only because I had just finished the series before the fateful wind turbine accident.

"Yes, but I was the only one to survive… and I was treated better. My wings never caused me pain, and I felt almost like I had a family. Then they released me one day, when I was fifteen, and I searched and searched for my parents based on what they had told me. I worked extra hard to avoid being tracked or even spotted, which was hard, but then I found my mom. The government must have paid her a great deal of money for me, because she was living a great life. Her older son, my brother, had gone off to college, and she was delighted to see me. We managed to live a year together before…" she stopped and seemed unsure of how to continue, "Before the call of the sky became too great. I started spending hours on top of our roof because I'd been forbidden to fly, and even then it wasn't enough." I knew exactly how she felt; sometimes I imagined the sky was calling for me, too. "I flew home from school one day, and she freaked out. We had a huge fight, and I told her I'd rather live in the air alone, than with her, trapped on the ground. She told me to leave. I did, and journeyed to Azumano. I'm sure you know the rest."

"I do," I said, "Krad showed me his memories. Most of them, anyways." There was a rush of static over the phone, and I felt the chain around my neck tighten. "I've got to go mom. Love you."

"I love you too Gray. Hopefully you'll be home soon." She hung up, and I did likewise. Then I curled up and let worry envelope me. I didn't know why, but I knew that this was where I belonged. Here, in Azumano, with Krad and Satoshi and Daisuke and Dark, with Lumi, Emiko and Towa. I felt the sky calling me, and wondered quietly how my mom had been able to stand it.

_Ella… _I thought, _From Ella Hunter to Pheo Valo. I wonder why she ever left this world. Does the sky still call to her? _I fell asleep with my thoughts buzzing through my head. And another one, one that should have been first priority considering my best friend was being held in captivity. _Where's Dark?_

Lumi's POV

I was still holding the broken lamp in one hand, wondering when Keiji would come in. My new resolve was to throw it at Funabashi and overpower the younger boy, but I had no clue as to whether that would or wouldn't work, seeing as I couldn't throw straight to save my life. Mura twitched and stirred. _Miss- Lumi? What is going on?_

Well, let's see. I was about to start planning an escape plan that would more than likely backfire and endanger us both, my best friend could be drawing her last breaths… "Nothing Mura. I busted the light bulb."

_Ah. Well, someone's bound to come in sooner or later. _With that, she passed out again. I wondered if she'd been drugged, but laughed at the very thought. I doubted Keiji had even noticed her and who else could have done anything? As I soon found out, a very… surprising someone else. A someone else that was-

"Dark?" No, it couldn't be. I didn't know why, but something felt… wrong. Maybe it was the glowing feather he held. Or maybe the fact it was-

"You stupid girl!" Krad snapped, "Do you even know why you're here?" Fenga was sitting a few feet away from the doorway, calmly watching the halls. She barked suddenly, and Krad glanced towards the window. Don't ask me how he saw it, but he did have those eyes… "The windows blocked, isn't it." It wasn't a question.

"Where's Dark?" I asked. I shook Mura awake, not knowing what good a hare would do against a wolf and a psychotic angel, but not wanting to face them alone.

"At the moment?" Krad asked, as if he was seriously considering it, "I have no idea and I don't care. I'm looking for Keiji."

"He's not here," I reply. "Why-?" I didn't have time to finish before Krad shut the door. "Oh come on!" I yelled, "At least let me out!"

_You're safer here, _Mura reminded me. _And I don't like him. _

"Neither do I," I mutter, "But I'm less fond of the dark." I shook my head and sat down, fully prepared to die of starvation. Except for the fact I never seemed to need to eat anymore.

_Upside to being- well, whatever we are! _Mura thought. I smiled. Maybe being trapped in a dark room with no windows-

"Oh my God," I said, "Rakuen. The trap in the room without windows."

…

AN: Oh… Krad, you are an idiot sometimes. Hope you enjoyed, please R&R! (And I never did get that boatload of homework… thank God for Thanksgiving break!) (1) Gomen okaasan = Sorry mother. Gray… speak English and figure out how to get rid of that chain. Seriously. What am I supposed to do if you choke to death?


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Disclaimer: Don't own DN Angel… Satoshi and Daisuke came back to life, just like Wiz said they would… what else do I need to say… nothing. Okay then, onto chapter twenty!

…

Dark's POV

AN: Betcha didn't see that coming.

"Where is that bird?" I said to myself. "Towa! Get out here NOW!" Still nothing. _She's downstairs. That must be it. _Why she'd be cleaning the underground passages without being ordered to was a mystery to me, but I needed her to help me figure out where Syerdtsye was. I didn't feel like flying into a trap, especially one laid by her-it. _It,_ whose title had been lost long ago, Syerdtsye no Kokuyoku.

The Black Wings Heart. (Yeah, sure. Part of it's Russian. Our creator had gone there once…)

"TOWA!" This was getting to be annoying. "TOWA NO SHIRUBE GET OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!" I didn't want to think about what might have happened to her, with Syerdtsye on the loose… and Argentine dead…

"Dark?" I jumped. "I'm over here!" I turned around and went back about fifty feet. There she was, perched in her bird form behind a veil of spider webs.

"I thought you wouldn't like spiders," I commented.

"I don't," she replied, "Syerdtsye came by and I hid. Now I'm…"

"Stuck?" I put in helpfully.

"More like trapped," she said, "She must have sensed me and come in here, but she didn't see me. She awakened one of the other works and left." I reached up and cleared away the cobwebs to help Towa, who hopped onto my hand before fluttering to the floor and reverting to her human form.

"What artwork did she take?" I asked. I was almost offended that Syerdtsye had simply walked off with one of the works I'd worked so hard to steal.

"I haven't got a clue," Towa admitted. "It looked a bit like… oh! I can't… I don't want to think about it."

I felt dread sweep over me. "Kyuuketsuki," I muttered. "_That's _what trapped Gray." (AN: Kyuuketsuki = Vampire. And no, not like Edward! Love Twilight books, but the movies sucked and made me start to hate the series.)

"But I thought that was destroyed," Towa objected.

"Like we all thought Argentine was destroyed, the first time!" I snapped. "This is serious. If Syerdtsye is reawakening artworks, it could be the beginning of a war-"

"Remember what Mistress Emiko said?" She looked serious, which was new. "A war, connected with The Eternal Maiden!"

"You're right," I said, "C'mon, I'm gonna need your help finding Lumi and Krad."

"Why Krad?" Towa asked.

"He has no idea what he's up against."

Krad's POV

Fenga and I walked down one of the hallways of the enormous studio, and once again, I thanked Gray for letting me take Fenga. I hated places like this, endless yet enclosed. In fact, I hated most indoor places. I had no sun or stars to guide me there, but the wolf didn't need any of those to keep her sense of direction. All she needed was her nose. _I don't like it here, _she commented. _It smells like blood and salt… and metal. _I didn't smell any of that. It just smelled… _clean_ to me. But the more I thought about it, the more wrong things seemed. Shouldn't a place like this be busy at this time of day?

"We're walking into a trap," I muttered. Fenga stopped instantly.

_Too late! _She growled.

"Much, much too late Karudo," a voice purred. "Have you missed me?" Syerdtsye was walking down the hall towards me in her true human form. Waist length brown hair swirled at her back, framing her face. Her green eyes glittered like a snakes, and her long fingers were like claws. To our creator, she was beautiful. To me, she was a monster.

"I killed you," I said coldly, "I killed you long before you were sealed. What have you done to Gray?"

"I've already answered that question," she snapped back. "I have captured her in my essence, the trap that the foolish thief had set for me when I was so ineffectively sealed. I only needed her to open her eyes to the Sight, and I could trap her. Then I could be free again… breathe again. Is that not what you want too, Karudo?" Fenga was growling so low I could feel the sound resonating in my bones.

"What do you mean, the Sight?" I said. I longed for the Toki no Kagi, but the sword refused to be summoned.

Syerdtsye looked genuinely surprised. Then scorn crossed her face. "_Gray _is a prophetess. She has waking dreams, visions that can predict the future. I can't believe you didn't know!" She laughed a cruel high-pitched laugh that echoed in the empty corridors. "Someone as power hungry as you, you who would go to the ends of the earth for power, not seeing a prophetess when she sits under your nose. She really has made you blind, has she not?" She sighed. "What a shame you will all have to die. Kyuuketsuki, your first victims." I flinched as he literally melted out of the shadows. His hair was black, wild, and shoulder length, and his skin looked as though it had never seen the light of day, and made paler by the black outfit he was wearing. He glanced up, and his piercing blue eyes were unnervingly human for what he was. He smiled, baring long, sharp, bloodstained fangs.

"Ah, yessss," he muttered. "Thisss would be who Sssyerdtsye sssspeakssss of so often." His fangs made him hiss slightly, like a snake.

"I didn't think you could be out in the day," I said, trying in vain to summon my sword.

"Sssspecial sssurcumssstancessss, Karudo," he replied, "And the promissse of fresssh blood wass ssso tempting. But it issss no fun without a fight…" he trailed off, looking at me expectantly.

_I know where the Toki no Kagi is. _Fenga thought. _Let me go get it._

I nodded and she took off, the wings on her ankles beating steadily. "If I kill you," I said to Kyuuketsuki, "Syerdtsye must set Gray free."

Syerdtsye nodded. "And if Kyuuketsuki kills _you, _which is much more likely, Gray and Candra will follow your… should I say footsteps or wingbeats…?" She puzzled over it for a moment, then shrugged. "Shortly."

I knew that it was the most foolish agreement I had ever made, but I felt that I stood at least a chance against Kyuuketsuki. "I agree." It took all of about three seconds for the fanged beast to pin me to the wall by my neck.

"I'm sssure you'll sssee Gray again," he whispered. "Although whether or not sssshe will ever forgive you for killing her issss a myssssstery." He smiled and bared his fangs. "Goodbye, slave of the Hikari's." I couldn't breathe, and Kyuuketsuki's blood breath didn't help. "Ah, to taste blood again." The last thing I felt was his fangs slicing deep into my shoulder.

Gray's POV

Fenga barreled through the door, panting heavily. _The sword mistress! Krad needs it!_ I'd been feeling uneasy for about an hour, but this confirmed it. Krad was in danger.

"Take it," I said instantly. "Go give it to him." Fenga dove under the bed and came back with the sword clenched between her teeth like a stick in a game of fetch. Almost instantly though, the sword began to glow and dissolve in her jaws.

_It's taking itself, _Fenga thought in amazement. _It's transporting. _I would have been happy, but at that moment, a stabbing pain went through my shoulder, and I knew then that Fenga had been too late.

"Krad," I whispered, "Oh God no." The pain was like a bite wound, and I could have sworn I felt the poison that must have been seeping through his veins. Satoshi had told me that I sometimes could feel Krad's pain, like with the Dragon Vase, but this… this was terrible. I couldn't even think, but my body wouldn't let me black out. I curled up on my side, whimpering, and Fenga put her head on my shoulder. Ryoushi looked at me from the foot of the bed and whined sadly. For the first time I noticed that the dog's eyes were amber.

Krad's POV

"I won't kill you yet," Kyuuketsuki said, removing his fangs from my shoulder. "I said I like battles. But this will, unfortunately, be a short one. Some days I wish our creator hadn't given me venom…" he released his grip on my neck, and I collapsed to the ground. My shoulder had already gone numb, and even if Fenga had come in with the Toki no Kagi then I wouldn't have been able to wield it. I knew the more I fought, the faster the venom would reach my heart. How strange to have one after all these years, only for it to be the death of me… I got to my feet, wincing from the pain in my shoulder, and faced the vampire, summoning a feather that sparked and glowed with magic. I was shaking, which totally mortified me. Me, the Hikari Hunter, barely able to stand after one hit… it was pitiful.

"You'll regret it," I replied, gritting my teeth. A golden glow caught my eye, and the Toki no Kagi appeared at my side. I took it, glad to have the familiar weight in my hand, and then it was sword against fang, reflex against reflex. I only had use of one arm, but it was better than nothing, and I was out of the range of Kyuuketsuki's fangs. I went into defense instinctively, hoping that I could maybe strike a lucky blow and wound him, but the Toki no Kagi was meant for a double handed grip and I didn't know too much about defense.

"You know you can't win," Kyuuketsuki said, "You know that even now, my venom is flooding through your veins, slowly killing you. And I am still… immune, I suppose, to being killed. Syerdtsye protects me… and I am not even the least bit human." It was then I knew I was lost. I would not fight in this war. But I could destroy him. The Toki no Kagi could destroy any artwork by ending its time.

_I can save you Gray. I _will_ save you. _She had been willing to give her life for me, so why should I not return that favor? I lunged at the vampire, and with one final effort, thrust the sword through his chest. He didn't even flinch until I started speaking. "Omaesan imei sou," I said, turning the sword like a key, "Omaesan imei kieuseru. (1)" He dissolved into dust, and a moment later, I collapsed as well. I glanced up at Syerdtsye, who just stared at me impassively. If she felt any sorrow over Kyuuketsuki's destruction, she didn't show it. "Release them," I whispered, "Release Gray and Candra." Black spots distorted my already fuzzy vision, but I saw the sadness sparkling in her eyes.

"It's fortunate for you I keep my word," she said, "But I never said I was going to release Candra, did I?" She snapped her fingers. "Ah well. I'm sure your other half will be joining you soon when he comes to rescue her. You can die now. Gray's safe…" I was so far gone I barely heard her last words. "For a while." Then the black spots filled my vision and I knew Kyuuketsuki's venom had reached my heart. With my last bit of magic, I told Ryoushi to stay with Gray.

_Keep her safe. Help her heal. _

Fenga's POV

I came in too late. Ryoushi's master was shaking and his breathing was ragged. The other artwork was nowhere to be seen. I pressed my nose to his neck, but the beat of his heart was almost too weak to feel. He was gone. _Mistress, you are free now, aren't you?_

_Yes._

_Come to Saga Entertainment. Bring Dark too, so we can get Lumi out of here. And come fast. _I didn't think he could be saved, but still… maybe Gray could heal him. Or maybe Dark, who was his other half and probably felt his last breaths. But I had just dragged my mistress here to see her love's corpse. _Gray?_

_Yes?_

_Krad's… dead. _

…

AN: Please R&R! And I am totally prepared for this chapter to get flamed, so feel free to do so. (1) My romaji translator is absolute rubbish, but roughly this means "You will be destroyed. You will be killed."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. And I'm keeping this disclaimer short.

…

Gray's POV

_Krad's… dead. _Fenga's words cut out my heart. I felt empty, void of feeling and life. Her final word just kept echoing through my head. _Dead…dead…dead…dead… _Over and over until I felt I would go insane. But she had told me to come. And bring Dark. I gritted my teeth and stood up, free of my chains as well as my love. _Dead…dead…dead… _I looked in the mirror, wondering if my eyes were as blank as they felt. They weren't. They were glistening with shock and sadness and hate. Shock, because I realized that, instead of my normal moonbeam sheet of hair, I now sported a black bob. Cut about Satoshi's length in the back, down to my jaw in the front. I punched the mirror and it shattered, sending blood trickling down my hand. I repaired it and went downstairs, still bleeding.

"Gray, what happened to you?" Satoshi asked.

"You didn't feel it?" I snapped back, "You didn't feel him die?" Satoshi took a step back, and some halfway sane part of me thought that I must look crazy.

"What do you mean?"

"No time. Where's Dark?" Said kaitou broke the window behind me. _He must enjoy that._

"Did you-?" He cut himself off when he saw me. "I'll take that as a yes. Nice haircut, by the way." I wanted to kill him. Instead I jumped out of the window, shards of glass catching in my wings. I didn't care. I could die, for all I cared anymore.

_Dead…dead…dead…dead… Gray? Krad's… dead. _I glanced back only once, just to see if Dark was following me. He was. I willed my blood-streaked wings to carry me faster, faster yet, until the whole of Azumano was just a blur beneath me and instinct was my guide. Faster, faster, until I crashed through a wall that held steady for about three seconds before it disintegrated. Fenga walked carefully up to me, and brushed her nose to my hand. I followed her back over to him. And lost it.

"Krad…" I whispered, tears beginning to run down my face. "Dammit Krad, why?" Like he would answer.

"He _thought_ he was saving you." I'd never heard her speak, but I knew who this was.

"You will die for this. This is a war now." I looked up into Syerdtsye's cruel face, which held a look of smug happiness that made me hate her with a passion greater than the heavens.

"And the first battle has left you broken. You're pathetic, prophetess. Sad, lost, absolutely pathetic. One death has you weeping on your knees."

I remembered something. "This is the second battle. Your name may mean 'heart' but that is one thing you will never have." She'd killed Argentine, and something told me that he wouldn't come back. He couldn't be repaired, the same as the Dragon Vase with my legend on it. _My legend_, I realized, _my war_. "I will kill you. You'll wish you had never been created by the time I am finished with you."

"Oh, but this is a war now," Syerdtsye reminded me sweetly, "And _I_ happen to have a hostage. Who I will gladly kill if you lay a hand on me." I felt my eyes change, which surprised me because I'd forgotten they could do that.

"Leave," I whispered. "Leave now, before I forget who my friends are." There must have been something in my eyes, or how the Toki no Kagi had moved into my hand, because she backed off. Maybe it was because she knew I was beyond broken, hovering somewhere in the halls of grief. Or maybe it was Lumi, walking down the hall with Dark by her side and a hare on her head. I didn't notice her until she tackle-hugged me, but even then I shrugged her off, determined not to let this happen again. Never lose another I loved.

"Gray," she asked, "What's wrong with you?" Then she looked down. "Oh. Oh Gray, I'm _so _sorry…" She wasn't. She had absolutely no idea why he was laying there, dead. _Dead…dead…dead…_

"I want to be alone. That means you too, Fenga." My voice cracked, which should have at the very least embarrassed me, but now it felt right. "Go now, before… before I hurt someone." I felt rage boiling inside of me, wanting to kill, wishing to kill; pleading to kill the retched _beast _that had done this to him, my angel, my love… I still couldn't even think his name. As they left, I knew there was no way for me to go back. Gone was my joking side, gone were my laugh, my smile… gone were my eyes, replaced by the feline abnormalities that would probably never change back. Gone was the curtain of hair with which I could hide my emotion. Gone was my entire being.

"Krad…" I knelt beside him and cried. I cried until even my tears were gone. I didn't know how long I'd been there, only the sun was setting when the tears let up. I held his cross in one hand, momentarily unsure as to what I was to do with it; then pocketed it. As a reminder. As I stood I swore I heard him speak.

_Take me back to the Black Wings_, he said. I knew what I had to say. The words came from nowhere, but they were strangely familiar, as though someone had placed them in my head.

"Blessed white wings, be reborn into light." Krad's form began to slowly dissolve into golden light, until he was gone. I stood there for a few minutes, staring at the spot where he had lain, then shook myself out of a stupor and flew off towards the Niwa's, tears once again springing to my eyes. I didn't know if I could survive, and still Fenga's words echoed in my ears. _Dead…dead…dead… _I doubted that they would ever go away.

I was ruined. But this was my war. I would be in the front ranks, fighting against Syerdtsye the whole way. And God help any artwork, friend or foe that got in my way. I flew on.

…

When I got back, I was formally introduced to Kosuke and Daiki. They were both kind, but was really too far out of things to get to know them all that well. But I did have one question, one last thing that I had to know before I shut myself away to mourn. "Syerdtsye said I was a prophetess. What is that?"

Daiki paused, either thinking or troubled, but answered after a few minutes. "A prophetess, hmm? You do seem to have that air around you…"

"It was stronger before today," Dark cut in. I glared at him. "Sheesh, you look like Krad. Except for the hair." For the second time that day, I wanted to kill him.

"It means you can see the future. Or glimpses of it," Kosuke explained.

"In dreams?" I asked, suddenly remembering the one nightmare that had depicted me dying.

"No," he replied, "Your visions will be during your waking hours. Dreams wander far too much to be accurate. But something would have to activate your Sight. Have you had visions before?"

"Yes," I replied, wanting now only to escape to my room or Satoshi's house to think things over. "Normally when I'm playing guitar. But there was once…" I trailed off, still freaked out by my vision in the kitchen. "There was once, back in my world, with Krad. My eyes wouldn't show me my house. They saw… one of your underground passages. And I felt…" Once again, I tried to place the strange feeling that I had at first thought was betrayal. And this time, I got a match. "I felt death." Pieces started to fit together in my mind. Dark and Krad fighting in front of the Black Wings. I could bring him back. No, not could. Would. I still didn't quite understand exactly what was going on with the first vision, but I wanted to think things over.

"Was it Argentine's?" Emiko asked. I knew she was probably upset about losing a piece from her huge collection of Hikari artworks.

"No, it was… I don't know, but it hasn't come yet." I knew it was true, that I would have been able to tell if that death had occurred. "I'd like to be alone now," I said quietly, and left. I'd repaired the window, so I grabbed my shoes and walked out of the door. I needed my guitar, and I wanted to be at mine and Krad's rooftop. I wanted to See.

…

Ten minutes later, I was sitting quietly on the rooftop, utterly lost. Not in the sense of not knowing where I was, but not knowing where I should be. _In the front ranks of an army, _I thought. _ If I die, I want to take as much evil as I can with me. Syerdtsye too, if I can. _But how could I fight evil when all I really wanted to do was just kill someone? I felt myself spinning out of control, my now short hair blowing around in the wind. It would be easier to care for, at least. It was the only good thing I could think of right now.

I stared at my guitar for the longest time. What did I want to See? Could I even control my visions? _I'm alone. Why did you leave me? I never even got to know you. _I started thinking, my fingers moving gently across the strings of the guitar. "C'mon, c'mon, don't leave me like this, I thought I had you figured out. Something's gone totally wrong won't finish what you started." I'd never really appreciated what those words meant until then. But they didn't even begin to cover all of my feelings. _Can't turn back, now I'm haunted. _I didn't want to sing. I didn't want to do anything but waste away into nothingness, to maybe, maybe see life as I once did, without knowing about this world. Krad would be alive still, Syerdtsye would never have woken up, and me? I'd be living my normal life, posing as the school's rebel rich girl, longing for the day when I'd finally figure out who I was.

_Mistress? _I jumped. _Dark's wondering if you're slitting your wrists or something. His words, not mine._

_Bite him for me, _I thought back. _And tell him that until Syerdtsye has breathed her last breath at the point of my sword, I have reason and drive to live. After that… I don't know. I miss him so much. _I didn't know how much longer I would last before going totally insane. Had Krad felt like this? I didn't know. I'd never know now. _Dead… dead… dead…_

_He says that they need you back here. At the Niwa's._

_Tell him that they can come to me if they need me that bad. _I replied coldly.

_They're planning a mass awakening of artworks. They need you there. _I shook with rage.

_Ask Lumi if she can come here. I have to talk to her. Tell her it's urgent. _It wasn't, but I didn't care. A few minutes later, she landed a few feet away from me. "If I die," I said quietly, "You're my second in command."

"Gray," she said calmly, "What happened? You aren't yourself anymore."

"Krad died," I replied, "I don't want him to have died in vain. I'll come back, but I'm so…" I stood, but still kept my head down. I was afraid that, if I looked at anyone, I'd blow up. "Crazy. I want to kill now. Just kill to kill, to see lifeblood flowing from veins." It took me a moment to realize that I was shaking.

"What you have to remember," Lumi reminded me, "Is that we're not your enemies. Syerdts-"

"Don't say her name," I said quickly.

"Fine then," Lumi replied, "But you have to remember Gray, that _she's_ your enemy, not us." I nodded slowly.

"But I have to wonder," I said, my voice cracking again, "Who's going to be next?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

"If we work fast," she replied, "No one. Emiko said that with the artworks we have, we should be able to destroy Syerdtsye once and for all."

"No," I said, "She is mine. Anyone who tries to kill her will taste my sword." I turned the Toki no Kagi so that it flashed in the light. It was mine now. I didn't want it, but it was a good weapon. And it was Krad's.

"C'mon Gray," Lumi said quietly, "You should come home now. Dark… and everyone else, they're all worried about you." She paused as if bracing herself for her next words. "And… oh, forget it. You'll have to see." I didn't like her tone. It sounded like she was arranging a funeral. Then suddenly I realized she was crying. I felt like an idiot for not seeing it before.

"It's Dark," I said. "Isn't it?" You know, some days I hated my life. Other days… well, not so much. But still, I had a feeling that this war would have to be postponed for some serious mourning.

"He's fading," she replied softly, "Because Krad's dead." I blinked. It shouldn't have come as any great shock to me, since Krad and Dark were technically the same being. Yet I felt tears springing to my eyes, because now we both lost someone. The Black Wings was… not dead.

"They're asleep," I said. "I saw them fighting in front of the Black Wings. I bet… they lose their memory or something while they're stuck there, so we're going to have to start over again at square one. Or, I will at any rate." Hurrah, I got stuck with a psychopathic, homicidal hunter while Lumi would just have to get Dark to stop flirting with other girls. Wasn't my life fun?

"Well," Lumi sighed, "Come on. We'd best be getting back, like I said before." I didn't want to go. I didn't want to be here, but being at the Niwa's would be torture for me.

"Give me a few minutes," I said. "Then I'll come, I promise. But I want a little more time on my own." With another sigh, Lumi took off with a snap of wings. I sighed, and sat down, wondering what I would See as I sang. I had no idea, but I felt better as the words escaped my lips.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow._

_Lay down your head, and close your eyes,_

_And when they open, the sun will rise._

_Here it's safe, and here it's warm,_

_And here the daisies guard, you from every harm._

_Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true,_

_Here is the place where I love you._

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away,_

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray,_

_Forget your woes, and let your troubles lay._

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away._

_Here it's safe, and here it's warm, and here the daisies guard_

_You from every harm, here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true…_

_Here is… the place, where I love you._

I felt, if it was even possible, worse after I finished the song. I didn't want to think about what I'd Seen. I'd Seen Syerdtsye becoming Krad, and fighting Dark in front of the Black Wings. He was really gone.

"You're really gone," I whispered, "Oh God, Krad… You can't be gone…"

_He's gone, mistress, _Fenga said gently. _Yes. But maybe, you can help his other half?_

Me, help Dark. Slightly plausible. I bit my lip, trying to stop the tears that sprang to my eyes. _I-I don't know. He would be just like a painful reminder…_

_Please mistress, _Fenga pleaded, _He could help with… with the war. And you are strong. Lumi would… wither without him. _

_What do you think I'm doing! _I yelled at her. Even though she had to have been a mile away, I felt her flinch. I didn't care. I'd help Dark, but I wasn't doing it for him. I wasn't doing it for Lumi, and I wasn't doing for myself. I would do it so that he could help with the war, and so that I could avenge Krad. I grabbed my guitar and flew off towards civilization.

…

AN: **POLL! **Hem, okay, now that I've got your attention, I'm looking for artworks that I can use in The Eternal Maiden. They can be human or animal. Here's what I'd like to know: (I'll use Syerdtsye as an example.)

**Name: Syerdtsye no Kokuyoku (Means 'Heart' in Russian, 'of the Black Wings' in Japanese) *Please give a translation if the name's not English!***

**Gender: Female**

**Artwork Form: I won't spoil it for you…**

**Shifted Form: Looks about fifteen or sixteen years old, with waist length brown hair, green eyes, and light chocolate-brown skin.**

**Attire: Light green t-shirt, light blue jeans with bloodstains and rips in the knees, and black boots. She also has a woven leather bracelet on her left wrist.**

**Powers: Go crazy. Seriously. Syerdtsye can awaken any artwork she wants, from even the strongest seals, just by touching it. When she's at full strength, she can do this just by being in the same room as the work. She has some minor control over lightening, but prefers to kill slowly.**

**Miscellaneous: (You can put whatever here, like the artworks past, present, what side of the war you want them to fight on, etc.) Syerdtsye was originally created by the Hikari's as a side piece to the Black Wings, meant to be a heart that could stop them from killing each other. Needless to say, she was damaged before life was breathed into her, and now she is determined to end… well, a lot of things, including the Niwa and Hikari lines, the human race, and other little things like that. **

I forgot to put this at the beginning, but I don't own this song. It is Rue's Lullaby from The Hunger Games, and you absolutely have _got _to search for and listen to it on YouTube. (Just make sure it's the "Kiss the Rain" cover. My opinion, but that's the best.) Okay, you know the drill! Click the blue button and REVIEW!


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. Why anyone would think that, I'm not quite sure.

…

I took off and flew as fast as I could towards the Niwa's, my wings now aching from flying through that window, and my hand throbbing from punching the mirror. I didn't have a clue how I was going to keep Dark from fading, but seeing as how I was still wracked with sorrow over Krad, my foresight wasn't the best. I actually used the door this time, instead of smashing through a window, and pulled my shoes off as soon as I noted that the floor hadn't fallen in. I half walked, half jogged to the kitchen, but no one was there. _Fenga?_

_We're in the basement, mistress. _Her answer was immediate. _Follow my voice. _Her voice? What did she mean by her voice? I went downstairs and instantly felt a pull. I followed it, wishing that I wasn't underground, and came to one of the stranger things I'd seen in this world so far. Well, sort of.

"Oh good," Emiko said, "You're here!" She and Daiki were both wearing floor length black robes, which made me long for my cloak, and Daisuke, Lumi, and Towa were standing just to my left. Lumi glanced over at me and grinned weakly. I gave her a quick nod in return, having forgotten how to smile.

"You needed me?" I asked, stepping forward. I wished my hair was longer. (I'm sorry, I liked my hair long. Shoot me.) Emiko nodded.

"Yes, yes," she seemed distracted now that I was here, and waved me closer. I stepped towards her, unconsciously straightening my back and drawing my chin in, like my mom used to do when she went horseback riding. I drew my wings tighter against my back, shivering from a chill that wasn't there. Fenga trotted up to me, melting from the shadows to stand by my feet. To my shock, so did Ryoushi. I knelt down and stroked his silky ears, and was taken back to my old world, to my rooftop. Krad's eyes filled my vision, and suddenly I was crying gently.

"Why…?" I whispered. Ryoushi nuzzled my neck, and I hugged him.

_He let me live, _he thought to me. _So that I can protect you. _I pushed him away from me and smiled.

"Thanks," I said. "You really don't know how much that means…" I stood up and my guardian paced over to sit next to Fenga.

"Alright Gray," Emiko said, "I don't really know how to ask this of you without sounding like I'm using you…"

"Just say it," I said with a shrug. "I really don't care."

"Alright," she replied, "Lumi, you too." She gave Emiko the same answer I had, and Emiko sighed. "You two, at the moment, are the only two… well, you are the only two who can undo the seals on the artworks we need to defeat Syerdtsye. With Dark out of action…" I stiffened.

"I think," I said, "I think that I can-" I choked and wondered why it was so hard for me to spit this out. "I might be able to fix that." Emiko and Lumi both stared at me.

"Wow," Towa whispered, "I really don't think you'll have to now." Everyone stared at her.

"What do you mean?" I asked. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Well, you know how I can sense artworks, right?" I nodded. "Well, the Black Wings was almost completely faded away a moment ago, but… It's hard to explain. But it just like… woke up. It's still half dead, but…" I got it. Somehow, my words had healed Dark. Well then.

"That might explain why I feel like I just used most of my magic," I said. "If you'd excuse me, I think I'm going to throw up." I walked off, telling myself that I'd only be a second, but having a violet-haired thief run into you doesn't exactly feel like getting hit by a pillow.

"Sorry Gray," he gasped, "Got to get to Emiko before she does something stupid like…" he trailed off. "Like waking up more artworks. You're bleeding." I touched the back of my head delicately, and it came away sticky and red. I hadn't even been aware of hitting the wall. He sighed. "Well, c'mon. I'm not strong enough to heal you yet and it's probably best I don't leave you alone. Where's Krad?" I shook my head, the small movement causing me pain.

"Still-" my voice broke for what had to have been the millionth time, but I didn't care, "Gone." I didn't think I'd survive saying 'dead'.

Apparently Dark had nothing to say to this. "Can you walk?" I rolled my eyes and tried to head back towards the chamber that the Niwa's and Towa, Lumi, Fenga and Ryoushi were, but instantly got hit with a wave of nausea. Dark grabbed my arm so that I didn't fall and break my nose, but I shook him off.

"I just tripped," I grumbled. I didn't know or care if he believed me, but I again began to head back towards Emiko and Lumi and the rest, my feeling of nausea passed. Dark followed, staying just a step or two behind. "Look at who's back," I said as I walked back in. "Or who I thought…" I stuck my head out in the hall. "You idiot, get in here!" Lumi looked at me for a minute, two minutes… three… "If you'll excuse me," I said, "I think I've got a concussion or something… I swear Dark was just here." Lumi closed her eyes; then they shot open again. They seemed to be a deeper violet then they had been, by several shades.

"He is," she whispered. "Syerdtsye too… and she… she wants to see you." Spots swam in front of my front of my eyes, but they were red instead of black.

_Mistress… _Fenga warned. _You're acting more like Krad lately… _I shook her out of my head and took off down the corridor, determined to find –and kill– Syerdtsye before she left this house. _Mistress! It was not her death in these walls! _I stopped dead.

"Fenga," I commanded, "Come here." She slunk towards me on silent paws, blending into the shadows, and sat by my feet. "How did you know that?" I asked. I noticed Lumi standing a bit farther back, and beckoned her forward as well.

_I do not know mistress, _Fenga answered. _It just felt as though it was right._

"Guard my back." I told her. It took a lot of willpower to suppress my rage, but I managed to do so. With my familiar at my back and my best friend at my side, I walked straight into what would very quickly become a deathtrap.

Keeping my footsteps as silent as possible, I managed to follow Lumi without breaking into a run. Fenga kept up a constant stream of mental chatter, mostly, I guessed, to keep me anchored to sanity. But I still kept a hand on my whip. (The Toki no Kagi was in its miniature form in my pocket.) Lumi looked at me and I saw fear in her eyes- and pain. Mentally, I stabbed Syerdtsye repeatedly. She could hurt me, she could kill me, but she could _not _mess with my friends. Or Dark, who wasn't really a friend or enemy. I turned a corner, and Lumi threw a hand out to stop me. Her breath was harsh, and when she glanced at me, her eyes were glassy.

"I've got to stop," she whispered, "It gets worse when I get closer to him…" I saw that her familiar was sitting on her shoulder, so I agreed. I didn't know how, but I knew that little hare could protect her as well as Fenga or Ryoushi could've. "Just go a bit further…" she slumped down against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest.

"Believe me," I said, "I didn't just bring Dark back to life to have him killed." Oh joy. I get to save my true love's worst enemy. I sighed, turned my whip into a sword, and continued walking. Fenga paced at my side, but she was tense and agitated.

_Something's not right, _she thought to me.

_Well, we are most likely walking into a trap, _I thought. Then I turned another corner and thought nothing more. Syerdtsye was standing in the middle of a strange mix of people and animals, and Dark was… well, okay, if Towa hadn't told me what she had only a minute ago, I'd have thought he was dead. He looked almost as though he'd been dipped in blood; it was flowing from gashes and cuts that seemed to cover his entire being. There was an especially nasty one over his right eye that made me realize why Lumi had been so weak. I guessed her and Dark's bond was either stronger or deeper than mine and Krad's was- had been. I suddenly became painfully aware that the back of my head hadn't healed, (duh) and of course, it was then Syerdtsye decided to turn and notice me. I didn't know whose form she had taken, or if she had a definite form, but her green eyes seemed to go right through me.

"Ah, good," she said, "Just the _mortal _I wanted to see." I didn't know why she was calling me mortal, but I had more pressing thoughts at the moment.

"Why did you want me?" I asked, not moving. A low growl rose from Fenga's throat, but another wolf came to meet her. It was twice her size and its fur was a deep, strange red. It took me a moment to place it, but then I realized –it was the color of blood; dried blood. "Fenga, calm," I said quietly. She stopped growling and sat at my feet. The other wolf stepped back.

"I wanted you because asked something of Krad- before he was killed, I mean." She was enjoying this, I could tell. "I will change the options a bit, but it will mostly be the same deal. If you wish to end this war before it begins –and don't doubt it will begin– meet me by the fountain tonight. Don't worry about time; I'll wait as long as it takes for you to work up the nerve to come face me. In the meantime…" she planted her foot firmly in Dark's face, then laughed cruelly and led her crowd out into the corridor. The blood-red wolf left last, and I didn't like how it was looking at Fenga. It was like it was trying to decide the best way to rip her throat out. Suddenly, Syerdtsye came back to the archway. "By the way," she said, "This is Chishio Kodora. I've only just awakened him… and as you can see," she gestured to Dark, "He truly does love blood." A wolf named Blood Drinker. It suited him.

_I call dibs! _Fenga snarled. I'd never seen such a look on her face as there was then. She looked like she would charge Chishio and tear him to shreds.

_Fine, but not yet._ I replied.Chishio and Syerdtsye both turned and left. Fenga was swearing (don't even _ask _me where she learned about 99% of what she said) and I slipped over to Dark. Aside from being unconscious, barely having a pulse, and pretty much looking like a corpse, he seemed fine. I tried to remember how I'd healed Satoshi's ribs, but I was so freaked out by Syerdtsye's request and the pain in my head that I couldn't even see straight.

"Dark?" I shook him as gently as I could, but he didn't stir, and I didn't dare to do anything more. "Look, I'll be right back. Fenga, watch him." I ran back to where Emiko, Towa, Daisuke and Daiki were, passing Lumi as I did. She seemed even worse than before, if that was possible, and her familiar was licking her face with her tiny pink tongue, trying to keep her awake. She didn't even look up as I ran past her.

"Gray?" Emiko asked as soon as she saw me. "Where are Dark and Lumi?"

"Dead, if we don't hurry," I said. "Please do follow me." I sounded strangely calm, for the circumstances. Emiko and Towa (naturally) freaked out. Daisuke looked puzzled.

"Why didn't I know?" He asked.

"Not the time to wonder," I said, "Follow me." Ryoushi bayed and took off, and we all followed him. Well, okay, we _tried _to follow him. He was pretty fast. Towa stopped when she saw Lumi, and waved us on.

"Keep going," she called, "I'll help her." I didn't really know what else to do, and seeing as Ryoushi was supposed to help Krad _kill _Dark, when we wanted to _heal _him… Well, I didn't have much choice, did I? I just kept on going until Ryoushi stopped dead and I tripped over him.

"Stupid dog," I growled, "What did you do that for?" He stood there like it had been _me _who had done something stupid, sat down, and pawed at his eye. I stood up and Fenga trotted up to greet me. She grabbed my hand gently in her mouth and led me back through the doorway.

_He's about ten times worse… _she muttered. _Why did we save him again? _

_It was your idea, _I reminded her. Emiko and Daisuke rushed in a minute later. "Where's Daiki?" I asked, knowing there probably should have been an honorific somewhere in there but not having a clue where.

"He's with Kosuke," Emiko answered, "I think they're in the library trying to find more on Syerdtsye. Now, where's Dark?" Fenga and Ryoushi had been mostly blocking him from view, but they stepped aside now. Fenga shoved her nose in my hand, and I stroked her head, waiting for a scream. Instead, I heard a thump. Emiko had fainted.

"Great," I complained to Daisuke, "Now what are we going to do? I can't even heal myself right now, Lumi's in the same state as him, and I doubt Towa can heal something like this." I gestured with my foot towards Dark. My head, if you were wondering, was throbbing, and it felt like my skull would split.

"Well, maybe if you went and got Hiwatari-kun…" Daisuke suggested. "He repaired Argentine once; maybe he'd have some sort of idea."

I shrugged. "Seems like a decent plan," I said, "Hopefully I won't get lost." I was joking of course, and ran upstairs, grabbed my boots, pulled them on, (it only took about two minutes, I was getting faster) and ran outside. I was mainly hoping that the blood on the back of my head was clotting. Instantly, I spread my wings and took off. It still felt simply amazing to fly, and to have the whole sky spreading all around me like an endless prairie –albeit one that was empty. I took a moment to get my bearings, another to doubt Daisuke's plan, and then set off towards Satoshi's house. It was odd flying into the sun, and I realized that if I got through today without losing consciousness, I might get to enjoy my first night of natural sleep since… oh wow. For a long time, let's just go with that.

_You aren't excepting Syerdtsye's challenge? _Fenga thought to me.

_If it gets me a full night's sleep, then no, I'm not, _I replied.

_I think you should. You'll have to fight her soon any- _I heard something funny through our mental connection, like she was choking, but then she continued. _Sorry, the dust down here is terrible. _There hadn't been any dust when I was down there. _You'll have to fight Syerdtsye sooner or later anyways, so maybe if you come now you can find out- _Again with the funny choking noise. _You can find out what her fighting style is. _Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

_Fenga, where are you?_

_The Niwa's basement, _she replied instantly. _Where else would I be?_

_Are you okay? _Something was wrong, and Fenga wasn't talking. I was growing closer to Satoshi's house, and my worry tripled with every beat of my wings.

_I'm fine, _Fenga insisted. _Like I said, it's just dusty down here._

_It wasn't dusty at all when I was down there a few minutes ago, _I pointed out.

_Maybe you just weren't paying- oh forget it. _Fenga's voice changed. It became high and cold and cruel; Syerdtsye's voice. _I have taken Fenga, and Ryoushi. Emiko, Daisuke, and Dark are also my prisoners. _My blood ran cold. _Oh, don't worry. I won't hurt them, _if_ you do as I ask. _This seemed strangely cliché.

_What do you want? _I asked warily.

_Only what I have asked for before, _she replied. _I want you to fight me. Tonight, at the fountain. But I've decided to up the stakes a bit. If you defeat me, I'll let your friends go, and call off this soon to be war._

_And if I don't? _Her answer didn't surprise me in the least.

_You come with me, without a fight, and I'll decide whether your friends live. _For some reason, she was still acting as though I had some sort of choice.

_Deal, _I told her. She may have had Emiko, Daisuke, Dark, Fenga and Ryoushi, but she didn't have Lumi, and she didn't have Towa. And Daiki and Kosuke were safe… and Satoshi. I started forming the basis of a plan as I flew closer to Satoshi's house.

Syerdtsye's POV

"Well, well, well," I muttered, "You really are a _baka_." I couldn't believe she'd accepted my challenge so readily. She seemed smart enough to suspect a trap… but I was sure she'd try to set one of her own. "Chishio!" The blood-red wolf lunged up to me. He would serve as my familiar for the time being, until he was… replaced, by someone stronger than he, smarter… more bloodthirsty. "Are there any strong works nearby?" He growled deep in his throat; his way of saying yes. "Well what are you waiting for?" I snapped, "Lead me there!" He bowed his head respectively, and set off at a brisk trot. "I'm not some mortal," I growled at him, "I do not tire. Run!" As we both broke into a sprint, I sighed. Chishio Kodora… probably the slowest artwork I'd met. But still, he obeyed orders and kept his muzzle shut. Of course, the fact I'd hexed it that way probably helped.

"Syerdtsye-sama!" A voice called respectively, "One moment please!" One of my minion- hem, _soldiers _jogged up to me. He was a tall redhead, with empty eye sockets that glowed with a pale, silver light. A bow and sheath of arrows were slung across his back. He bowed as he approached. "What did you want us to do with the prisoners?" He questioned.

"Kill them," I replied without a second's hesitation. That fool Gray couldn't have expected me to keep a promise with a _mortal._ "And give me your bow." He looked puzzled, but was smart enough to hand it over with the sheath of arrows. I checked one of them for straightness, smiled, and notched it to the bowstring.

"How do you want us to kill them?" The boy questioned. I loosed the arrow into the ground near his feet, and it stuck there, quivering. These arrows were extremely high quality… I'd have to get him to make more.

"Torture them first, of course," I snapped, "And be creative. Did the Hikari's, damn their name, give you brains for nothing?" I smiled. "Oh, and thanks for the bow. These are amazing arrows." I whistled for Chishio and again we set off at a dead sprint. We were there in less than a minute.

I looked around me in awe. "Chishio, I think we've found our hideout," I whispered. It was a huge abandoned church, and Chishio was already sniffing towards the artwork. I decided to let him find it as I looked around. The ceiling was high and probably used to be made of stained glass, but most of it had been broken or had simply fallen out of its place. It lay shattered on the floor, creating a carpet of shiny, multicolored dust. Only one piece remained in the ceiling, a huge chunk of red glass with one jagged side. It would be quite easy to remove, but I didn't want to –not yet. Chishio barked (as much as he could, what with the hex I'd placed on him) and I jogged over to him.

He snarled, the hair on the back of his neck rising. "Well then," I snapped, "You can leave!" He slunk off, leaving me with a strange, beautiful, and terrible artwork. It was, I guessed, a fox, made of gleaming black marble. But the work was so distorted with pain, and appeared to also have flames carved out of the marble, it was hard to tell. "And what might you be?" I asked the statue, running a hand down the smooth black stone. "Humanoid, human, animal? Or maybe something more sinister? I bid thee awaken, to follow me in war!" Instantly, the artwork began to spark. Flames erupted from the statue, and I realized I had been right about it being a fox. It collapsed, its breath shallow, and a thin golden aura formed around it. It began to glow, brighter and brighter until even _I _had to look away, and when it subsided, a girl lay there. Her hair was a bright, vivid red, her skin pale, and she had retained her black fox ears. Twin swords were strapped at her waist, and sparks played about her fingertips. She was clad in what resembled a modern kimono, with a metal rock style twist, black jeans, and red shoes.

(AN: Here's the link Soul Maiden {AKA Soul Madien} sent to me. You'll have to take out the spacing, but the link works. http:/ dreamself . me /d/ bjYB )

The girl stirred, then, as fast as lightening, (and I would know how fast that is) she leapt at me and had me pinned to a wall. If I had been mortal, I would be unconscious. However, I was eternal, immortal, unending, and I was now also angry. "Who are you?" The girl hissed, "And why are you invading my home?" She conjured a fireball in her right hand and shoved it close to my face. I grasped her wrist and wrenched it away from my throat before answering her.

"I am Syerdtsye no Kokuyoku," I said, "Also known as Syerdtsye no Zyerkayao. (1) And I wish for you to follow me in this upcoming war against the Hikari and all artworks that show them or the thieving Niwa's any compassion." (AN: (1) Heart of Mirrors; it's a rough translation, but it's the best I could do, since my Russian's not that great.) The girl stared at me with bright scarlet eyes that showed absolutely no mercy or compassion.

"I am Honoo no Namida," she replied, "And I follow no one." (AN: Means The Flaming Tears in Japanese.)

"You will follow me," I said, "Because I can promise you something no one else could. You can kill the last of the Hikari line. I have no particular interest in being the one to finish off the boy, just so long as he dies," I continued. Namida-san was hooked; I could see it in her harsh eyes. The fireball slowly went out in her hand, and she stepped away from me.

"Yes," she breathed, "Yes, may our damned creators die! I shall follow you gladly, but…" she paused, a calculating look in her eyes. "But surely there must be a catch?"

I smiled. "There is but a small one." I pointed at the large shard of red glass. "I will need you to drop that on someone when they come here." Honoo's eyes lit up, and she nodded.

"What do they look like?"

"She may not fall for it," I warned, "If she doesn't, you must get out of here quickly. She mustn't see you. You are to be my second in command, the highest officer in my army's ranks." Honoo bowed respectfully.

"Of course, Syerdtsye-sama," she said, "But I must say this: If you try to bring your army to my home, I will kill you with no hesitation." I bowed, troubled at how unstable Honoo seemed. But still, we were both a bit overprotective of our homes. I had been, until it had been destroyed.

"This is understandable," was my only reply. "Now, follow me. Have you any way to fly?" Honoo shook her head, her long hair swishing from side to side.

"I know of better ways to scale these walls," she replied, "And as soon as this enemy of yours comes around, she will be killed. And then I will finally strike the final blow to the Hikari!" Her red eyes glistened, and she took one of her swords from its scabbard. She raised it towards the sky, and flames shot through it, though the nearly nonexistent ceiling, and onward, into the sky.

…

AN: Well, okay, what did you think? Please review, and I'm still looking for artworks, so please, even if you haven't been following for long, feel free to throw in an idea! (Anonymous reviews are on, so you don't have to have an account, and the info I need is at the end of the last chapter.) Also, a huge thank-you to Soul Maiden, who introduced Honoo no Namida to me! I hope I got her relatively in-character, and if I didn't, feel free to yell at me. It was the first time I'd ever tried to do this, so I hope I at least did okay. Thanks again, and Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all!


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Disclaimer: I'm sick of saying the disclaimer. Since Krad's *choke, sniffle* you know, gone, and I'd rather not see Dark right now… Maybe Daisuke could say it?

Daisuke: *Randomly appears in the room, and glances up from an easel* Huh?

Me: Can you say the disclaimer?

Daisuke: Sure! Pheo The Flame doesn't own DN Angel.

Me: You would know, huh?

Daisuke: Yup! How'd I get in here, anyways?

Me: Uh… it doesn't matter. On to the story!

…

Krad's POV

AN: You thought he was really dead, didn't you? I knew it! *Celebrates*

_Spark. _All around me was blackness. _Spark. Zap. _I swore under my breath as the chains trapping me shocked me yet again. I had been too weak to escape them when they were new, and now they drained me of what little energy I could muster. I couldn't last much longer like this. All around me was blackness, the hated blackness inside of the Black Wings, and I wanted to scream.

_Ryoushi? _I tried to call to him, but as before, I got no answer. _Zap. _This was better than death, if only because here there was a chance of my being reawakened. Gray had just managed to take me back here, but I was too weak to escape again, even without a seal.

Gray. I still was so uncertain of my feelings about her. I'd almost killed her… I'd almost kissed her once as well. _Zap. Spark. Zap. _I felt dizzy, and I knew I was going to black out again. "Damn the Hikari," I hissed. "Damn you all…"

Gray's POV

I paced across Satoshi's living room, uncomfortable with his and Kosuke's eyes on me. "So," Satoshi said, "You want to set a trap for Syerdtsye?" I nodded.

"She's going to try to catch me," I replied, "And then you'll all be in danger too. I just want this to end before- before anyone else gets hurt or killed." I'd been trying to magically grow my hair out for about a half an hour, but all I'd managed to do was turn it blue. And my throat hurt, so I could barely make out my voice. Apparently Satoshi could though, so whatever. Maybe I sounded like Krad or something.

Krad. Maybe it hasn't sounded like it, but I couldn't go a second without thinking about him. I honestly, physically couldn't. I felt constantly that there was piece of me missing; but not quite… gone. As if I'd misplaced my heart, but I'd find it if I looked _just _right. Stupid, I know. But I guess no one ever said love made sense.

"This is suicide Gray," Kosuke said quietly. "There's absolutely no way you can even dream of defeating her. The Hikari created her to be their perfect work after the failure with the Black Wings. They gave her no weaknesses, power over lightning, her ability to know what forms would distract you most in a battle…" he trailed off. "And they wrote almost nothing about her."

Satoshi sighed. "My ancestors had no sight. They should have realized that a heart needs a heart as well." With that cryptic statement, Kosuke placed an old, dusty book on the coffee table. By the looks of it, it was a journal that had had most of its pages torn out.

"This is the only book in just over half of our library that either I or Daiki could find that held any reference to her," he said, "Take a look." Satoshi seemed rather bothered that one of his ancestor's books had ended up in the Niwa's library, but said nothing. I walked over to it, knelt down, and carefully flipped open the cover. I was starting to really hate dusty old books. Satoshi walked over and started reading over my shoulder.

The words were totally incomprehensible (to me) Japanese symbols, but then they began to wiggle around the page and form English words. "That's cool," I muttered. Then I started reading.

_I have failed. Even now, the demon that now rests within my soul stirs, trying yet again to take me over. I can barely stand it, that feeling of another being within me, and I grow to hate it more with every passing minute. I must free myself from this demon who has titled himself 'Krad'; I must do what I swore I would not. I must create for and give him and the other half he is constantly ranting about a heart. Since artworks (or at least their manifested selves) have no hearts, they must stay attached to whatever work they were created in, correct? And because the Black Wings was destroyed at its creation; split in two, the halves had to find forms that would give them life. So would a heart not give us both peace? I must try. I refuse to just give in. The Niwa's don't even seem to notice that there is the other half of that work within them, the fools. I wonder what it looks like. _

"It sounds…" I trailed off. "It sounds like he's writing to someone."

"Keep reading," Kosuke replied grimly, "It gets worse."

_So, back to the subject. My final artwork has come to live within me and the Niwa's, and it will be the last Hikari artwork the world will know of. But there will be another… and she will be its heart. She will not be a Japanese work though, for I do not wish her any relation to my other works. No, she will be Syerdtsye no Zyerkayao, the Russian Heart of Mirrors. She will be Syerdtsye no Kokuyoku, the heart of the glorious Black Wings!_

There was only one more page left in the book, but I didn't bother turning it. "That's completely, totally, unbelievably insane," I muttered. "No offense Satoshi."

"None taken," he replied. "If our history has it right, he sold his soul... What's the last page say?"

"I wouldn't do that," Kosuke warned, "It's not the best idea." Satoshi ignored him and flipped the page.

_Thou who art insane… insane thou art, but who would dare to call you by that name is but a fool. Ah, yes, you. Krad, the Hikari's demon, curse, plague! Why do you not leave me? Why have you chosen me as a vessel!_

I stared at the line of writing, puzzled. "He was insane," Satoshi said dryly, "I suppose he was trying to get Krad to read this."

"Ah," Kosuke said. "That's what it was. It just gave me a headache."

_Thou who art insane… I gave you a heart. Why do you still plague me? Why do you not leave? _

The writing seemed to take a different track from this point. "What on earth…?" I muttered. The letters were wriggling around again, moving and shifting; a few of them even leapt off of the page. "Satoshi, do you see this?"

"See what?" He replied. "It's a bunch of random marks." The lines were still moving around, still shifting.

"No," Kosuke said, "I think it's a code. And I think it's revealing itself to Gray." The lines were still moving around, forming one small word.

"It-it says…" I couldn't believe it. "It says 'Emiko'. I think it means she can read it." Kosuke's eyes flashed. I'd never seen him angry before, and hopefully, I wouldn't. I tried to move backwards, tripped over Satoshi, and sent us both sprawling. "Sorry," I said, jumping up and offering him a hand. "Gomenasai, sorry…"

"I'm fine," he replied, "Really." Kosuke was staring at me intently as we both stood up.

"Gray," he said, "You look… you look a lot like Satoshi with your hair blue…" I caught on instantly.

"How much so?" I asked. "And I've got my wings to worry about," I spread them slightly for emphasis.

"Quite a bit," Satoshi must have caught on as well. "And do you still have your cloak? That hid your wings quite well the last time you wore it." I nodded.

"I think so… but Syerdtsye would really have to believe I was you." I sighed, and shook my head, my moment of excitement gone. "And I really don't think I could do that. I probably look more like your sister… I just want to go as myself!" I was so fed up with this war already, and it hadn't even begun. "I'm going to go try to get my hair grown back now, if you'll excuse me." I really didn't care what they thought. I went back to 'my' room (where I'd stayed when I was… I guess I'll say when I was chained), leaned over in front of the mirror, and started zapping myself with magic. I tried just about every trick I knew, but the most I could do was get my hair to change color. I sighed, switched my hair to black, and curled into a ball on top of the bed. I'd forgotten how much magic took out of me. All I wanted to do now was catch some z's, but of course, my stupid dreams wouldn't give me a moment's piece.

_I was flying over a lake. The water was a clear, deep blue, and the shining sun touched all the way to the bottom of it. Small, golden fish darted around in the water, and dragonflies buzzed across the water's surface. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. _This is what heaven must look like, _I thought lazily to myself. It was so beautiful; I had to close my eyes. Then my dream changed._

_I was running. All around me were trees, burning trees. My boots were heavy on my feet; I kicked them off and ran faster, my feet now burning. But still, I kept running, running. My hair, which was long again, snagged in the branches of a bush and crackled to life; I pulled out the Toki no Kagi and hacked as much of it off as I could. Ahead of me lay my peaceful meadow, the same lake and sun I had just left, but just as I was about to reach it, a tree fell in front of me and blocked my path with flame. I yelped and spread my wings, desperate to get out of this burning hellish forest, and the heat from the flames gathered under my wings and I shot up. Higher and higher I soared, but I couldn't fly towards the meadow. Something was pulling me the opposite way, towards what appeared to be a mountain. I followed the pull and drew closer._

_There was a cave in the side of the mountain, and I entered it cautiously. I didn't have to duck, but the ceiling was too close to my head for my liking. I kept walking though. Something told me I would like what was at the end. The first thing I tripped over was my boots. I didn't bother even wondering why they were here, but put them on before I continued. It was a long walk, but it felt good._

_I began to notice tiny crystals embedded in the cave walls as I walked further in, then I came to the first turn I'd seen. Without hesitating, I walked right around it._

And woke up. Someone was knocking at the door. "Come in," I called groggily. You wouldn't believe my surprise when I saw Towa open the door. Imagine having drunk thirty gallons of coffee, are currently caffeine high, then crash almost instantly. "Why are you here?" I asked. I was wide awake now, but not in a good sense. But at least my throat didn't hurt anymore.

"Well, Lumi started healing a while ago," Towa replied, "She felt well enough to fly, and insisted on coming over here. We've been here for two or three hours now." My stomach dropped. How long had I been asleep? I hurriedly opened the blinds, expecting the sun to wash over me, or to see any signs of it whatsoever, but instead I saw stars. Stars like glittering diamonds on deep blue velvet. I felt like I was going to be sick. "Come on," Towa said, "Kosuke-sama and Hiwatari-kun wanted to talk to you." I felt numb, but nodded and followed her.

When we got downstairs, I saw Lumi and her familiar sitting across from Kosuke and Satoshi, who seemed uncomfortable with so many people around. "Hey Gray!" Lumi said. Her voice was light, but she still looked weak.

"Hey," I replied. I felt sick. _Fenga, please talk to me, _I begged, but I got no reply. _Fenga, please. Please just tell me it'll be alright, please. I'm scared. _When I still heard no reply, I touched the miniature Toki no Kagi in my pocket and thought of Krad. He wouldn't be scared. Heck, he probably would've killed Syerdtsye by now. "You wanted me?" I asked Kosuke. He nodded.

"Yes. Please sit down." I sat, and Lumi's familiar hopped off of her shoulder to poke my arm with her nose.

_Hello. _She thought quietly, _I'm Murasaki. _So that was her name: Violet. Same as Lumi's surname: Orvokki. My thoughts were interrupted by Satoshi beginning to speak. (AN: Yes, both Orvokki and Murasaki mean 'violet'. Murasaki is Japanese, Orvokki is Finnish.)

"Gray-san," he began.

"Just Gray," I muttered, but he ignored me.

"You have no idea what you're doing," He continued, "But I might as well try one last time to dissuade you, though I doubt it will work."

I nodded in agreement. "It won't." I could've sworn everyone in the room sighed simultaneously. I yawned. "So, why'd you want me again? I'm probably already late…" I laughed, amazed that I was worried about keeping an appointment with the bloodthirsty Heart of the Black Wings. Satoshi seemed bored.

"Give me the Toki no Kagi," he said. "It's not worth the power Gray-san-"

"Gray," I said. "Just Gray."

"Fine then," Satoshi said, "But it –the sword, that is– is part of what drove Krad insane." He sighed, "Though the Hikari had more to do with it. But I don't want to see that happen to you."

"I'm touched," I said, and I genuinely was. "But forget it. With all due respect, of course, but now is not the time to ask me to relinquish a weapon." Satoshi smiled. "Um, why are you smiling?"

"Because," Satoshi replied, "You're much smarter than I thought. Now, the moon is rising," I glanced out of the window, and saw the silvery orb just rising above the skyline. "So you should go."

"Don't worry about killing her Gray," Kosuke said, "We've got a plan, just keep her distracted." My stomach would have flipped, but for the fact it was already tied in knots.

"No," I said, "No, no, no. You are not going to put yourselves in danger. No." I stood abruptly.

"'Course we are!" Lumi quipped, "After all, this is war." The strains of the song by 30 Seconds to Mars instantly started running through my head. (AN: I felt entitled to include some form of music in this chapter.)

"No," I insisted, "You aren't. I won't let you get yourselves killed!" With that, I turned, slipped my boots on, and left. But flying through an empty night sky can make you regret some choices. Especially those that involve you storming out on your best friend, and the ones in which you have agreed to fight a psychotic, lightening-controlling, shape-shifting, artwork who had a taste for kidnapping, murder, and blood-colored wolves. "What am I doing?" I muttered. But then I was at the fountain and Syerdtsye was flying up to meet me.

In Krad's form of course.

…

AN: Ta daa! It's a bit short, but maybe… maybe next chapter will make up for it? Still looking for OC artworks, but please, feel free to just REVEIW! Pretty please? And since this will probably be my last post until a bit afterwards, HAPPY NEW YEARS! May you all stay up 'till midnight or later!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Disclaimer: I own DN Angel! *Wakes up* Oh. Okay. I guess I don't. *Cries*

…

I didn't have time to think. I knew it wasn't Krad, that Syerdtsye was trying to distract me, and I couldn't let it work. This was life or death now. _My life needs background music. _With this final sarcastic thought, I took my whip and dove at Syerdtsye. I didn't have a plan; I had only ever fought Krad –ouch. That was a mistake. _Don't think. Just let instincts take over. _Don't ask what bit of me was saying that. I'm guessing my 'instinctive' side. Then I wondered why I hadn't hit Syerdtsye yet.

I braked so hard I thought my wings would both snap. I couldn't have been more than ten feet off the ground. "You know," she called sweetly, "Maybe you should use your eyes." How had she done that? I shook my head and decided to try a different approach. I wasn't a warrior. But maybe… maybe I could figure out enough to stay alive.

_Krad, help. _I didn't know where the thought had come from, but it didn't do me any good. Syerdtsye landed and shifted out of Krad's form into the one I guessed was her original. "I have my eyes, but they do not see as yours do," I replied. "After all, am I not just a _stupid, mortal, prophetess?" _The black whip I held in my left hand came alive then, crackling with silver and gold magic. I moved it around like a conductor, hoping I could keep it up for long enough to…

"Ah, yes," Syerdtsye sighed. "I'd forgotten about that." Yeah right. "You never had what it took to save him, you know. I would have killed him personally… but he was fighting a bit too hard. Kyuuketsuki killed him without thought." So now I knew the name of Krad's murderer. My blood began to boil. "Now I'll just have to settle with killing you. Shame."

_Hold your ground. She's trying to trick you. _His voice was faint, almost nonexistent. But it was there.

_Krad? _

_I can't stay. Don't ask me to. I'm too weak. Dammit Gray, pay attention! _I managed to dodge Syerdtsye, but I heard a clink of metal on the cobblestones as I did.

"Oh?" Syerdtsye had heard it too. "What is this?" I commanded my whip to become a sword, and lunged at her, but missed. I had no idea whether or not it had been the Toki no Kagi or Krad's cross, but I wasn't going to lose either of them. But of course, I had to lose the sword. And, of course, it had to grow to its full size as soon as she touched it. "This is… interesting," Syerdtsye commented. "However, I believe I will cut you to pieces before I am distract- ah, you-!" I'd finally managed to hit her. I'd given her a nice cut down one arm, and faced her again.

"That sword is a curse," I said, "A curse so strong that not even Krad –who you had murdered," I felt something stab my lost heart, "Could withstand it. That is my mother's sword, the sword of Ella Hunter, of Krad Hikari, and of me. It will kill you."

_Mistress! _It was Fenga. _Keep talking! Keep her distracted. Lumi and Towa are here! _I could have fainted with relief.

_Keep your head Gray! _Krad snapped at me. _I didn't die to meet you again! _I rolled my eyes.

"And it can kill _you._" Syerdtsye said, lunging at me. I parried her attack and threw myself sideways.

_She's no good with a sword, _Krad said. _Keep her on the ground and don't let her near her bow. _It was only then I noticed the bow slung across her shoulders and the quiver of arrows at her back.

_Right-o, _I agreed. _Stay on the ground, skip the arrows… why are you not here? _No answer. I cast about wildly for Syerdtsye, but she must have taken off. _I'm dead. _The first arrow hit me in the arm. It burned like fire and my entire arm went numb instantly. I whimpered, but broke the shaft and pulled the arrowhead out of my skin, sending a quick pulse of magic to heal the wound, or at least staunch the flow of blood. The second and third clattered off of the pavement by my feet, and the fourth I deflected off my blade.

"Well prophetess," Syerdtsye called, "Have you seen your death yet? Will I get a lucky hit, or something more sinister?"

"Nothing of the sort!" I replied, "You see, when I die, I will take with me you, and your entire army! Since they aren't around… I'm not gonna die just yet!" Okay, I was bluffing. So what? It sounded good. And about now, I just needed to keep her distracted…

Lumi's POV

Everything went wrong. Towa had tracked Dark to an old church, and we'd found him tied up with Emiko and Daisuke nearby. Out of the three of them, Dark was in the best shape. He'd healed and was his normal, kaitou self. Emiko and Daisuke were only a bit worse off, and mostly from shock. We untied them while Mura went questing for Fenga and Ryoushi, who she felt sure were somewhere in the building. But like I said, everything went wrong.

"Guys," Towa said, "I think… no, there's definitely someone else here." A jet of fire shot down from the ceiling, and a figure descended from the fiery staircase.

"Yes, Towa no Shirube," the girl (for it was a girl) replied. "Have you not heard of me? I am Honoo no Namida. The Flaming Tears. Hello Dark-san, and…?" She glanced at me, Daisuke and Emiko questioningly.

"I am Candra Orvokki," I said, stepping forward, "The Shining Violet. They are not important," I gestured to Emiko and Daisuke and hoped someone understood that I wanted them to get out of here. "I, however, can be your downfall…" I tilted my head. "_If _you decide to stay here."

"_If I decide to stay here?" _Namida-san screamed. _"If? I was trapped here for decades, eternities maybe! _And this is my home." Her voice changed to a hiss. "And you will not take me from it, _Candra." _

"Run guys!" I yelled. I had no weapons, no training magic-wise, and Mura was nowhere in sight. So when Dark stepped up beside me, I can't say I wasn't overjoyed. "Dark, no," I muttered. "You're hurt." He smirked at me.

"Does it look like it?" He asked me, "I thought so. Now c'mon. I think two of us should be enough for one flaming tear." Honoo no Namida grabbed a set of twin swords from around her waist and held them out in front of her. The next thing I was conscious of was being wrapped in a funnel of bright orange flame that flickered around me. Gray had always had a fascination with fire, (coupled with a respect of it, she had once told me) but I hated it. I pulled my wings close against me to stop them catching fire, but the ring closed around me. I could hear Dark yelling on the other side of the fire, but I guessed he couldn't stop it.

_Wait a second… _the part of my brain that held on to sanity said, _Doesn't fire need oxygen? _I didn't even get time to register the thought before I started choking. I looked up, and could barely see the stars twinkling above me. _I'm gonna have to fly out of this. _As the horror of this idea struck me, I whimpered and steeled myself. I _hated _fire. But I'd rather burn than die. I crouched down, sprang, and snapped my wings open. Instantly, I screamed from the pain the flames brought me, my wings were burning, but the heat from the flames was pushing me up. Then I burst into the sweet, cool night air and knew no more.

Until I woke up. I was tied to something rather fluffy, but prickly at the same time. My wings didn't hurt at all, so initially I thought that they'd healed and the feathers were poking me, but apparently not. Someone was pulling at the rope, trying to untie it. "Dark?" I asked. My voice hurt from the smoke from the fire, but it was audible.

"I'm going to kill her," was his reply. "I am going to rip her throat out and-" I coughed.

"That's what Gray and I would call having a Krad moment," I choked out. "Well, what Gray would call having a Krad moment." Dark stiffened. "Is that Wiz, or your own wings?" I asked.

"My own," he answered, "You don't think I'd let you fall to your death, do you?" I smiled, though he couldn't see it.

"No," I replied, "But I had to ask. So why is the great kaitou Dark tied up? And where are the others?"

"In answer to your second question, I have no idea. And to answer your first, it's because _Namida-san _cursed these damned ropes!" I felt his fury, sort of. Like it was a passing cloud, one that I couldn't be bothered with.

"So we're stuck here?" I questioned. "And if you have any idea, where are my wings?" Dark sighed. His sigh was something I wasn't particularly used to, but it was cute.

"Yes," he said, "We're stuck here. And as for your wings, I suppose they disappeared to heal. They'd probably be unsightly anyways." I smiled and then stiffened suddenly as Dark went limp. "Act like you're still asleep," he hissed. If there had been any time, I would have put my head on his shoulder and snored, but as this was definitely not the time for jokes, I went limp like Dark had and eased my breathing.

Footsteps echoed across the floor, crunching in the glass and tapping upon cobblestone. "Well, the two angels are still asleep and dreaming, ne?" It was Honoo no Namida, of course. "Maybe some screaming will wake you up?" I hadn't heard anyone being dragged, or another set of footsteps.

_OhmyGodshehasMura. Mura! Answer me! _It was horrible. I couldn't show any signs of being awake; I had to sit limp, as though unconscious, while my poor little familiar was being tortured in front of me.

_Mistress, _Murasaki's voice came quickly. _It's not me, she's got… Ryoushi. _That didn't make me feel one bit better. In fact, it almost made me feel worse, because I'd seen how much he meant to Gray. I heard one of her long swords being unsheathed, and finally couldn't take it. I stirred, as if just waking.

"What the- Dark?" I muttered, turning my head. "And you!" I whipped my head around towards Honoo no Namida. "What did you do to him? And Emiko and Daisuke? And –is that Ryoushi?" I was trying to act shocked, but to no avail. And poor Ryoushi. Namida-san held him by the scruff of his neck, which must have been causing him a lot of pain.

"Oh please," she replied, "You think I couldn't tell you were wide awake? Everyone has a tiny flame in their soul, you know. A tiny, flaming teardrop that causes the sorrow in their life. It is my job, my endless task given to me by my damned creators, the Hikari to find that teardrop and take it, to nourish it, and allow it to grow. Oh, some few people will die, of course, when I do this, but oh! Just think… the suffering I will bring to _them! _Do you not agree Dark, that the Hikari deserve to die?"

This was warped. This was so warped I couldn't even believe it. "Without sorrow though, how would we know what happiness is?" I asked, looking up at her.

"Oh, I would know," she replied. "And that's really all that matters." She tossed her head back and laughed.

"You know," I said, "That's really cliché, that whole 'tossing back head and laughing' routine." Namida-san stopped laughing abruptly and looked at me. Her eyes didn't appear to be amused.

"You know," she replied, "I really hate you." I rolled my eyes, trying to say, 'like I haven't heard that before'. I had, actually. Mostly online haters who thought it was stupid that I was trying to convince them to like a manga that only had ran one season. Well, actually, it was after I'd gotten them to watch it… and then said it only ran one season. "Oh, I wouldn't be like that," Honoo simpered, "I have a tendency to kill people I don't like." She shook Ryoushi gently. "Like this one… I never was very particular towards Krad… even if he was the protector of the artworks. I'm glad he's dead." Dark tensed behind me.

"How dare you say that," he hissed. "How dare you. I swear, you will die. By the Hikari's, my creators, and the Black Wings, you will die." I was actually kind of glad Dark was tied up, to tell you the truth. I'm absolutely positive he would have stood up if his hands weren't tied and strangled her. In fact, I thought he was going to until Namida-san tensed.

"Shame, but I shall have to leave now," she said, "Syerdtsye-sama wishes me to help her destroy that little pest she says is a great nuisance to her plans." She passed a hand over Ryoushi, and ropes of flame wrapped around his ankles, hogtying him rather effectively. His wings were, I noticed for the first time, gone. She set him down next to us, muttering something about 'not wanting to damage him yet'. Then she left. I didn't see where she went.

Gray's POV

"Krad was useless," Syerdtsye called to me from the air. I couldn't see her, but her arrows were raining down on me from all directions. At the moment, I was trying my best to keep a shield around me, but I'd used so much of my magic by that point I was shaking. Fenga and Krad were both gone, so there was no one to encourage me, yell at me, anything. "He barely put up a fight."

"He would have killed you without blinking!" I yelled back. Well, that was a mistake. My concentration on the shield broke for a split second, and an arrow pierced my foot. I screamed in pain, but I didn't have enough magic to heal the wound. In fact, I realized just in time, I didn't have enough magic to put my shield back up. I took off as three more arrows and a bolt of lightning hit the spot I'd been standing in a second ago. Eternal Maiden or not, that would have killed me for sure. Well, it would have made me wish I was dead.

"Gray!" I shook my head. "Gray!" Why was I hearing my mom's voice? Then she flew out at me from the darkness, a bow in her hand and a still full sheath of arrows at her back.

"So that's the form you're using to fly!" I yelled at Syerdtsye. How dare she impersonate my mom. Just- just how dare her!

"Your mother was always better than you," Syerdtsye said as she flew past me. "Stronger, more beautiful… why on earth do you think Krad would ever love _you? _You are weak. You have barely any control over your powers, this is your first real fight and all you've done is _defend, _and just look at you. You're a mess, and you've still got that arrow stuck in your foot!" She laughed and flew off, and, like a complete idiot, I followed her. I didn't have a clue where the Toki no Kagi was, but I'd find it if I had to pry it from her dead hands. I didn't think about where I was going, I didn't think about what I was doing, I just flew after Syerdtsye with only the mind to kill.

I didn't realize we were in an abandoned church, see Dark and Lumi, or hear Syerdtsye scream: "Now, Namida-san!", and the crack of glass until it was too late.

"Gray!" I wasn't imagining it. It wasn't in my head this time. With a breath that was full of my own blood, I answered weakly.

"K- krad?"

…

AN: It is, as I type this author's note, 11:20 PM. I cannot believe I managed to type this so fast. Happy New Year!


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Disclaimer: I don't own… and I'm rather tired.

…

My breath came in short, quick gasps now, and there was blood red glass all around me. It dug into my shoulders, my wings, my legs… it was everywhere, stabbing me. I heard Lumi scream, and a painful sounding thud, then a cry of outrage from Dark.

_Mistress… _it was Fenga, weaker than she had ever sounded. _Mistress, where are you?_

_Fenga, live on, _I told her. _I don't… think… _Sending my thoughts to her became too painful. I didn't know what was wrong with me, only that this was what dying must feel like.

I heard a pair of wings fold near me. "Gray…" I struggled for breath, but panicked when I found none. "Don't," Krad said. "Just lie still." I couldn't. I had choked before in my lifetime, and the feeling was terrible. I couldn't just lay there. But I found I was unable to move as well. I started feeling dizzy… "Stay here Gray," Krad said; "You didn't know … Did you?" he sounded more like he was talking to himself. He brushed the glass away from my eyes, and I instantly opened them. He was right there, kneeling next to me. I turned my head up to look at him, and felt a tiny ribbon of air slip into my throat. It hurt. I closed my eyes again.

"Krad?" I asked, using the tiny bit of oxygen I had just found. It hurt to talk, and I wasn't going to open my eyes again, but I had to hear his voice.

"Yes Gray?" But I had no more air left. I was done for. And then everything became much different.

"Gray!" That wasn't my mom's voice. It wasn't Krad's, Lumi's, Dark's, Emiko's, Daisuke's, Towa's or anyone else's who I had met here. It was my dad. And then the scenery changed.

…

"Well," Krad said, "This is…"

"Impossible," I finished. We were standing in my house. In the hallway in front of my room. In front of my parents. But Krad was dead. And so was I, wasn't I? "Mom? Dad?"

"Gray!" my mom said. I saw something flicker in her blue eyes. Could it possibly be surprise?

"Mom?" I asked again, shocked. "How did I get here?"

"Gray, thank God you're home," she replied. "We've missed you so much!" She ignored Krad, which I supposed was a good thing since I didn't want them at each other's throats, and stepped towards me. But I stepped back, sensing something was wrong.

"Get away from me," I said, "None of this is real. It- I want it to be, but it's not." I looked at Krad. "You're dead." I took another step away. "I'm dead. Syerdtsye killed me." Suddenly the obviousness of the situation hit me. "Mom, no…" she smiled sadly.

"Our plane crashed sweetheart," she said softly. "It was quick, though. I promise." She stepped forward and hugged me. "You fly high now, you hear me? Use those wings of yours." She pulled away.

"Dad?" I asked. He smiled at me. My dad, since I haven't told you too much about him, is thin, in a wiry sort of way, with pale-tan skin and a sort of brownish-gold hair, which is how he got his name. His eyes are a deep, rather chocolate colored brown. He was the one who taught me to play guitar.

"We're fine. But you have to fight for us. It's not your time." His eyes glittered, and for a moment, flashed bright gold.

"It will never be my time!" I whispered. "You knew! All this time you knew-" I stopped. Knew what? That because I was eternal, they would still die? That was obvious. "And how were you calling me?"

"That was all before," mom answered. "We were taking off to New York to another meeting, since there was still the occasional bit of news on that video. I still cannot believe the stories that were popping up around that thing…" her musings were interrupted by Krad, who grabbed my shoulders and spun me to face him.

"You are the only one who can end this," he said. "You have to fight for us. For your parents. For me. You have to decide now. Live and fight, or die and wander the wreckage that will be our worlds?" I stared straight into his handsome eyes, as though if I looked hard enough, maybe I could see the answer. Why shouldn't I just give up? I could be with Krad forever. I could be with my parents again. But in reality, I knew it just couldn't be.

"Why can't I have both?" I asked him. "Why can I not bring you all back with me? We'll fight together!"

Krad looked at me for a long moment; then my dad spoke up. "Gray… it doesn't work like that. You mother and I are gone. We can't come back."

"And Gray, I'm only just barely alive," Krad said. "It's taking every ounce of magic I have to keep myself projected here. I have to go soon." I felt tears sting my eyes.

"I-" it broke my heart to say it. I couldn't believe I was saying it. "I'll fight." I felt my eyes watering. I had found the three people I loved the most in two worlds, and they were all dead. And I was leaving them.

Krad stared at me for a long moment. "Good girl," I heard my dad say quietly. With a flash of red hair, my mom was standing beside us.

"Here," she said, pressing something into my hands. I looked at it. It was a USB flash drive. "This one's got pictures, and here," she fished a second one out of her pocket, "Are all your stories. And you have to promise me you'll go visit your grandmother, because I've yet to see her." I flinched, because for a moment, I'd forgotten that she was dead.

"I promise," I said, then added, "Once this is over, of course."

"Yes," Krad said. "Go now Gray. Never forget us." I didn't move. "Gray," he whispered, "I love you. Now go." I could see the pain in his eyes, and I wished more than anything that I didn't have to leave; that I could save the world and still be with him.

"I- I can't," I mumbled. "I can't leave you all like this. I have to help you." I wasn't just saying that. I honestly felt that I couldn't leave until I'd helped them.

"Gray," Krad replied gently, "You've made your choice. You can't do anything now. Look." He took one hand off of my shoulder long enough to gesture at the spot where my parents were –had been. They had simply disappeared. "I'm still here because-" I knew.

"Let my guess," I said, "It's because I'm here too, right?" He nodded slightly. "I'll stand right here," I said, "Forever, if that means you'll never leave me." Krad smiled.

"I'm dead," he said, "Though not in the same way your parents are. I can come back, but the price is high… too high."

"What is it?" I asked. "I'd go to the ends of the earth for you. I'd die for you-" Krad pressed an index finger to my lips.

"You'd have to," he said. "And I won't allow it. I'll watch over you, always, but you have to go now. I've missed you more than I could ever miss life, and now that I know where you are, I'll never leave you." I shook my head. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. I had never lied when I'd said I'd give my life, but I never thought he would die. It just couldn't be…

"I can't win this war without you. We can't." Krad was slowly fading away now. I didn't know how much longer we had together. "You can't leave me Krad."

"You have to Gray," he answered. "Just as I must leave. I have nothing more to do with the realm of the living." It was a perfect moment. Sad, and sweet, and full of love. His hand, the one that had quieted me a moment ago, traced my jaw line and turned my face up to look at him, and he kissed me. A soft, gentle kiss. A first kiss, and a last. Then he was gone, and I was curled again amidst the glass that was wet with my blood.

"Krad," I whispered. "Mom. Dad…" I heard a gentle whimper, and my eyes shot open. I should have been dead. I shouldn't have heard Ryoushi whimper from over a hundred feet away either. I should have been dead, but I felt better than I ever had in my life. And, in a sense, worse. I coughed and spat blood, then stood. _There will be time to mourn after this, _I promised myself. But even so, the weight of my parent's death bore heavily on my shoulders.

"Gray," it was Lumi. Her wings were gone, and the hair on the right side of her head was matted with what looked suspiciously like blood. Dark looked murderous. "Gray, I can't believe you're still alive! You were just laying there for half an hour…" her eyes suddenly widened. "Honoo no Namida –the one who dropped the glass on you –she's after Satoshi."

"Where's Syerdtsye?" I asked. Dark's head twitched, some of the light going out of his eyes.

"Not here," he answered.

"Did either of you see Krad?" I asked. They hadn't said anything about him, which made me think…

"Gray," Lumi answered, "Krad's dead." I felt my heart plummet. Had I just imagined…? No. I couldn't have imagined that kiss. Not in my wildest dreams.

"I must have been imagining things," I muttered. I used my sword to cut the ropes that bound them, and looked at their expressions of amazement. "What?" I asked.

"Those were cursed ropes," Lumi answered shakily. "Dark couldn't even get through them." I smiled, and cut the ropes that bound Ryoushi. He didn't move, but he was breathing. I picked him up, wondering just what might happen if we were ambushed.

"Well, apparently I'm just a bit better than your average kaitou," I said quietly. "Ah, skip it. I'm not in the mood for jokes. Where're the others?"

"No idea," Dark replied. "But it would be best to look around."

I rolled my eyes. _Fenga, where are you? _

_Look up. _I tilted my chin towards the sky, panicked, but she quickly said, _I'm just kidding. We're behind that big organ you're probably looking at about… now. _She was right about that. The organ was a huge, wooden thing, half rotten, but absolutely beautiful.

"They're behind that," I said, nodding at the organ. "But why'd she leave you two out here?" I heard a crunch of glass and whirled around to see an unknown artwork.

"Honoo no Namida," Lumi hissed in my ear. So this was who had dropped a sheet of glass on me.

"Ah, so this is the great _Gray-san," _Honoo said with malice. "Why do you refuse to die?"

I turned my chin up and looked at her down my nose. "I will not die," I replied, "Because I am eternal. My soul is immortal. And no matter how much glass you throw on me, I'm not leaving this world." I paused to let my words sink in. "If you are the Flaming Tears, why do you not set this place afire?"

Honoo's eyes glistened. "Why would I destroy my home? I only wish you and your… _friends _out of my existence." There was a flap of wings and Syerdtsye (as my mom, ouch) landed and switched back to her true form. She held the Toki no Kagi in a loose double handed grip.

"_Immortal _only means not dead yet," she hissed. "I can fix that, however…" her eyes glittered with hatred and bloodlust. I grabbed my whip and cracked it before allowing it to become my own, silver sword. I would have lunged, but Dark grabbed my shoulder.

"May I?" He asked, smirking.

"No," I said, "Now go with Lumi and get everyone out of here." Did he really look disappointed? No time to think about that. I pulled myself away from his grip and faced Syerdtsye.

"Gray," Lumi said, "I can't just watch you get yourself killed!" I turned slightly and smiled.

"I've already been dead once today," I said, "And my own parents told me it wasn't my time to join them." I watched as my words registered with her. Then I turned my back on her and Dark and stepped up to meet Syerdtsye and Honoo. I felt so strong… so strong I struck first. With magic.

"So you can be killed?" Syerdtsye asked, deflecting my attack with a shield of her own.

I bowed my head. "Nothing is eternal," I said, and I knew it. "So yes, I can. It's just extremely hard to do so." Syerdtsye gave Honoo a quick nod, and the girl… artwork, whatever you want to call her, ran off.

"Hmm," she mused. "I think a key of time might do. I wonder if you will see your precious _Karudo _after you've bled out at my feet." Her voice became harsh, and she lunged at me. I sidestepped and tried to twist the Toki no Kagi from her grip. What I managed to do was flip Syerdtsye on her back. She sprang up and lunged again, and this time I met her. Sparks flew from the two swords as they clashed, and the sound was deafening.

_This is insane. _With that thought running through my head, I spread my wings and jumped. I wanted to lure Syerdtsye into my own little trap now. It would be rather touch and go, but I thought that it might, just might, stand a chance of working. It could awaken an insanely dangerous artwork, but I was almost positive it was dead. I would lead Syerdtsye into the chamber under the fountain, where the Toki no Byoushin used to reside. An arrow hit me in the foot, but it didn't penetrate my shoe.

Sheer luck was going to have to keep me alive now. Sheer luck, and maybe… "Krad, please protect me," I whispered. "Please." The next two arrows stopped dead in midair and shot back at Syerdtsye. She yelped and dodged them. She had taken Krad's wings, which had a wider wingspan than my mom's, and was currently notching another arrow to her bow.

"I don't know how you're doing that," she yelled, "But I intend to find out." She shot an arrow into a rafter that was less than half a foot from my head. I jumped (as much as one could jump while in flight) and went through where the ceiling used to be.

"And let me guess," I called back, "When you do, you'll go right on ahead and kill me?" I shot a bolt of magic at her, purposely missing by a few inches, and took off.

_Mistress, _Fenga thought to me, _I wish you luck. But I think the rest of us will be at Satoshi's house, unless you request otherwise._

_No Fenga, _I thought. _Go somewhere safe._ I felt her presence retreat from my mind, and had the sense that she was holding something back from me. Then I saw another arrow blocked by Krad's presence and shook myself back into reality. I had to think, had to concentrate. Where was that fountain? There. I darted down, praying that the fountain's cavern was still –the fountain. It must have been rebuilt. The earthquake had destroyed it, hadn't it? I shook with sudden uncertainty, but then shook my head. I had no intention of dying yet.

_You are NOT going to die, _Krad hissed. _If you die, so help me, I will never speak to you again. _

_I'm going to go out fighting, _I told him. _And not now. _Somehow, I doubted my words. I was going to live through this. I didn't know about anyone else, but I knew –I didn't need my Sight to tell –that it would be me who faced Syerdtsye in the end.

I was at the fountain. Syerdtsye was close behind me. I landed and tried my absolute best to try and figure out how to open the fountain, but I failed. "Krad, please," I said desperately. Nothing… until I caught a glimpse of a glow a few feet away. The water parted where the glow was, and I waited until I was certain Syerdtsye could see what I was doing before I ducked inside. The doorway sealed behind me, but only momentarily. Syerdtsye stormed in a moment later, and I instantly took off, not bothering with the stairs. The ceiling was nice and high, and as I looked down, the floor seemed to have a skin of water on it. Maybe it had been damaged?

_The tide… _his voice sounded weak. He must have used a ton of magic to project himself, and talk to me. But I understood. The place began to flood with the tide coming in.

_The whole place? _I asked, dodging the Toki no Kagi as Syerdtsye swung it at me. In rage, she whirled around and threw it. Finally, a stroke of luck! But as I retrieved the sword and willed my whip/sword into a shield, Krad's answer made my hopes plummet.

_Yes. _Then I felt the connection between us go dead. Syerdtsye's next arrow pierced my wing, and I fell with a scream to the wet ground below.

…

AN: The only reason this is out so early is the fact I had the scene with Krad and Gray's parents typed out ahead of time. I hope that no one who is back in school has too much homework… (Bleh)

Gray: Oh come on. When am I going to get to kill someone?

Me: Wait. You're me, and I'm you. So why are you here?

Gray: That's a good point. *Disappears in a puff of smoke.*

Me: Since when…?

Gray: *thinks* Since I taught myself to spontaneously combust. It's kinda fun. By the way, thanks for the kiss.

Me: No prob. Anyway, please, R&R!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Me: Oh man. This is getting so exciting! I don't really know how to say this- *is slapped by Krad.*

Krad: Please shut up and say the disclaimer before I kill you for killing me.

Me: You're not really dead. And… uh… I kinda forgot what I was going to say when you slapped me.

Krad: *facepalm*

Dark: Cut! Now we're gonna have to shoot this all over again!

Me: Wait. Who made you our director? I thought it was supposed to be Satoshi!

Dark: *shrugs* Well, I'm here now, so…

Krad: Where is he? *murderous glare*

Dark: Currently? Probably locked in his house. *Backs away from Krad, who looks even more murderous than before, if possible*

Me: Because the scenes that follow will probably contain blood, swearing, and possible disembowelment, I will censor them by saying the disclaimer and getting on with this story. Well, I don't own DN Angel. However, if this continues, I will probably own the corpses of Dark and Krad. Oh for the love of God Krad, put the sword down!

AN: This is what happens when you are listening to 'Fury of the Storm' by Dragonforce while typing a disclaimer. I'm sorry. I'll try to make these shorter in the future. (Looking back on it though, it is rather funny… in a morbid sort of way.)

…

The water was already about a foot deep when I landed, and the arrow in my wing snapped. I pulled it out quickly, but I felt splinters lodge in my flesh. I whimpered in pain, but forced myself to my feet. My head was pounding, my heart was racing –but I had the Toki no Kagi back. And now, I would kill Syerdtsye. I would avenge Krad's death, or half death, or whatever you want to call it, once Syerdtsye decided to stop splitting herself into three different selves, all the same… I felt dizzy.

"Poisoned arrow, _prophetess,_" Syerdtsye called. "Call your familiar… or you can die, I really don't care." She landed in front of me and shrugged.

"Why would I call Fenga?" I asked, horrified that my legs were shaking and my voice was already failing.

"Because," Syerdtsye said simply, "She can heal you." What about the _Eternal Maiden? _Wasn't that my title? Wasn't that who I was?

_Fenga… come to the fountain. _I didn't want to call her, but… I had to get rid of Syerdtsye, and that would be rather hard to do dead.

_Of course mistress, _Fenga replied smoothly. It was right then that I collapsed to my knees.

"Did I mention that was a poisoned arrow?" Syerdtsye said politely. "Well, the tip wasn't, it was actually the shaft…" With a chill, I touched the spot where the arrow had pierced my wing. Aside from the splinters of poisoned wood, I felt an old scab. That was where Krad had stabbed me, and I dropped the Toki no Kagi instantly. The swords curse… would it still hold true?

_I can't use that sword. I'll end up killing myself. Oh… what am I going to do? _I gritted my teeth, stood, and pocketed the now miniature sword. "Yes," I said, "I believe you brought that point up once." I tiny stream of blood was trickling down my wing now, coursing a channel through my feathers. Then Fenga burst through the fountains entrance, at the same instant the first drop of my blood fell into the water that was fast approaching my knees.

"Chishio!" Syerdtsye called. Instantly, the water (and more of my blood) began to boil around me. I leapt back, my cargo jeans now shorts. My legs hurt like mad, and when I looked at them, they were already the bright, shiny red of a burn. I couldn't run, and I couldn't fly. And when I glanced up at the sky, I saw Fenga diving straight for Chishio, and then… even now I still cry out in my sleep (or so I'm told) about this. But anyway, Fenga was diving straight at Chishio, her eight wings beating like mad, and Chishio, (have I mentioned he was twice Fenga's size?) lunged up to meet her. If she hadn't let his jaws close around her muzzle, he would have ripped her throat out. I clapped a hand to my own face, the wounds opening on it as well. More blood began to flow.

"What are you doing?" I asked. Or rather, I tried to ask, because it hurt a _lot _to move my mouth. Syerdtsye only laughed more.

"You don't know? Any injury that your precious _Fenga _receives will be given to you as well, so long as she is within sight. It works in reverse as well." A gash opened in my arm, and I heard Fenga yelp. I winced, I'm pretty sure I cried out, but the water was already halfway up my thighs, (though thankfully no longer boiling.) I really couldn't think straight, I'll admit it. I just wanted _out. _There was no way I could climb all the stairs before the water because of my burns, and I didn't dare try healing myself… I was going to die here. I was going to die in this God-forsaken flooding cave. I fixed my gaze briefly on Fenga again, just in time to see Chishio leap up and bite down hard on one of her wings; her right front one.

My own went limp as Fenga plunged to the wet floor below, screaming her howling scream. Now I was one-hundred percent stuck, with no way out, because Chishio broke one of her hind legs as well. I figured it was also her right. I gasped and slammed my sword down into the cobblestone floor as a crutch. I was completely defenseless.

"Well, I think that that will do," Syerdtsye said, "Now, Chishio, please come here." The blood-red wolf trotted over obediently, and she knelt beside him in the water, cupping his ears. "Now Gray," she said quietly, "I promise your friends will see you again. Of course, you won't really be you…" with a shimmer, she switched to my form, and Chishio (strangely enough) took on Fenga's. "You'll be me." With water up to my waist and poison coursing through my veins, it took me about five minutes to process this. By that time, Syerdtsye was long gone.

"Fenga," I rasped, limping over to her. She was laying on one of the steps that hadn't been completely covered by water, and I placed a hand on her broken leg, gently trying to move the bone back into place. She whimpered and swore a few times, but then I heard a nice, satisfying 'click' and sent a burst of magic into her leg. She instantly stood up and tried to do the same for me, but I suppose it was rather hard without opposable thumbs. "Here girl," I murmured, "Let me fix your wing first." I tried moving it around, but it quickly became apparent that this was no clean break. "I don't think I'm going to be able to heal this…" I muttered.

_Don't worry mistress," _Fenga thought, _Let me get the poison out of your blood. _She dug her nose into the wound in my wing, and I gasped in pain as a deep gold liquid trickled down my wing and into the water below. Fenga pulled her nose away quickly, and the wound sealed instantly. _I don't think I can do anything about your wing either, _she thought. _But at least now we have a chance. _I smiled.

"You're absolutely right," I said, "And you know what? I think we've got a pretty good one." She barked and I grinned, despite our injuries, and we set up off the staircase.

Lumi's POV

So, you all knew Honoo no Namida was after Satoshi, correct? I doubt you knew she burned down his house. Oh, but wait. I'm not there yet, my bad. Okay, forget you read that! Please!

My wings hadn't returned, so Dark carried me to the Satoshi's house, our agreed rendezvous. To tell you the truth, I kinda fell asleep about five minutes into the trip… apparently almost getting yourself killed and watching your best friend supposedly come back from the dead is pretty exhausting. Well, at least the 'almost getting killed' part. And poor Gray… first Krad died, now her parents? I think guilt was another one of the things that made me just want to sleep. But I'm getting off subject. Daisuke and Satoshi were walking home with Emiko, and Towa as their guard, Mura was perched on Dark's head, and Wiz was currently functioning as Dark's wings. Fenga and Ryoushi flew alongside us. But like I said, I fell asleep.

"Candra," my eyes shot open, because only Krad called me that with any regularity. But it was Dark, sitting next to the couch where I was laying. Wait, couch?

"Where am I?" I asked, propping myself up on my elbows. Then my eyes began adjusting to the light, and I recognized my surroundings. "Never mind, I see now." I was in Satoshi's living room, and I could hear multiple people moving around in other rooms. Mura hopped over to me, twitching her ears back and forth. Her violet eyes glittered with concern.

_Hello mistress, _she said. I'd stopped correcting her about the 'mistress' thing, because I was pretty sure she just didn't get it. It was better than 'Candra-sama' or 'Orvokki-sama', at least. I scratched her ears. _I am curious, _she thought to me. _Is there someone… or something, with evil intentions nearby? The air feels… funny. _I closed my eyes and focused on Syerdtsye, but only got a fuzzy feeling of flight, far away. Then I tried Namida-san. (Gray always tells me not be formal with her name. I say I'm just getting used to using honorifics, and besides, it sounds cool.) She had a determined air about her, and was running. And she was _way _too close to here for comfort.

"Namida-san," I said quietly, opening my eyes. "She's coming here." Dark twitched his wings (when had those appeared?) in annoyance.

"I'm guessing she's after Creepy?" He asked. I laughed, having completely forgotten about Dark's name for Satoshi, and then nodded, wondering why I couldn't find Gray. She had to be somewhere, right? But maybe I could only see people within a certain distance of me. Yes, that had to be it. Gray was just out of my… vision, to call it that. My Vision… Kinda like Gray's Sight. I sat up, feeling a familiar twinge on my back. My wings.

_Ah, here we go again, _I thought, praying that it wouldn't hurt as much as it had before. I felt the skin on my back rip open, but it sealed itself over almost instantly, and I barely felt the pain, and didn't even have time to gasp. There was no blood this time. My black and purple feathered wings spread, rather against my will, and then flopped to either side of me. I couldn't get them to move.

Mura hopped closer to me, and nudged one of my wings with her tiny nose. I had never realized it before, but it was purple as well. Her nose, not my wing. I knew my wing was purple, sheesh. Picky…

But anyway, as soon as she pulled away, my wing started tingling, like it had fallen asleep and was waking up. Mura did the same to my other wing, with the same results. I tried folding them again, and it worked… kinda. They felt funny, like I'd tried tying them to my back and sprained something. "We need to go," I said, "Namida-san's getting closer."

"Where are we going?" Towa had just walked in, her jade-green eyes shining with curiosity. She had changed from her maid's outfit to a faded blue shirt and jeans. Dark explained quickly, and I sent out another probe for Gray and Syerdtsye, but this time I didn't find either of them.

"Can you go get the others?" I asked, "I don't think it will be safe to go back to the Niwa's house, but there must be somewhere…" Towa nodded, and everyone came in a few minutes later. Namida-san was close now. Too close.

"Why are we all here?" Emiko asked. I closed my eyes and hoped that this would sound as urgent as I wanted it to.

"Because," I answered, "Honoo no Namida is coming here. And she's less than a mile away." Yeah, that sounded pretty urgent. Then there came three quick raps on the door, and we all jumped.

_Mistress,_ _it's okay, _Mura assured me. _It's Gray. _I leapt up and ran to the door, and sure enough… there was Gray, soaked to the skin, with Fenga by her side. It wasn't raining out though…

"Please let me in," she said, "It's freezing out here." I shook my head and explained that we had to get away from here, and why. Surprise flickered in her eyes, but she stepped away from the doorway and let me out.

"Where's Syerdtsye?" I asked. I don't really know what I expected to hear.

"Dead," was definitely not in the top twenty. But it was Gray's answer.

Syerdtsye's POV

"Dead," I said. And as far as these idiots were concerned, I was. They all would be in a few minutes anyway, and Gray was probably drowning as I stood here. All was going according to plan –my plan, at least.

…

AN: Well, okay. I'm sorry this took _**FORVER **_to update, but school started, then I got writers block, then I started watching Death Note… But anyway –Will Gray drown? Will anyone see through Syerdtsye and Chishio's disguise? Find out in the next chapter of "The Eternal Maiden"! Please R&R, and I promise I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own DN Angel. However, I am currently seeking ownership rights to Fullmetal Alchemist.

Well, not really… but I can dream, can't I?

…

Gray's POV

We were halfway up the stairs when the water caught up to us. Maybe it was a wave, or maybe Poseidon had an issue with me and Fenga being there. Or maybe Syerdtsye wanted it to end like this. All I know is that the water suddenly started rushing into the cavern beneath the fountain a lot faster. I could swim, yes, but my wings would weigh me down, and my leg was still broken, so not for long. So we continued trudging through the water that came up to my knees, my waist; oh look, Fenga had to swim now. Only a minute or two later, so did I.

"Fenga," I said, "How're we going to get through this?" She looked at me, her eyes sad.

_Mistress, I don't know if we will. _Her words shocked me. We had to get out. _Had _to! The thought of us dying… was unthinkable.

"Mom," I said, trying to keep my head above the quickly rising water level, "Dad… you said it wasn't my time. Krad," I choked on a mouthful of water and panicked for a few seconds, "Krad, help us!" I had been right about my wings. They were like a pair of weights tied to my back, determined to drag me down. Fenga seemed only a bit better off. Her fur and wings were weighing her down, and she seemed to be having trouble keeping just the tip of her nose above water at some points. "Fenga," I said, "Remember what Syerdtsye said about you and me sharing injuries?"

_Yes, _she thought back to me, paddling through to water as best she could.

"Well," I chose my next words carefully, "What if… what if we can share other things? Like our lungs?" I felt ridiculous even saying it.

_I don't know mistress, _Fenga said. _Everything has its limits. _She was right of course. But believe me, when you're about to drown, you can think of some pretty crazy things. For example, if you have a broken wing, you may imagine that, for some odd reason, you actually have a canvas sail tied to your back, and attempt to rip it off. Needless to say, Fenga had to bite me to stop myself from tearing my wing away from my back.

"Thanks," I said, gritting my teeth from the pain. Blood flowed from my arm where she'd bitten me, but I didn't care. I just had to keep my head above water. And I should stay above the steps too, just in case I started going under. That way, I could push myself back up. I told Fenga the same thing, and she glanced down.

_Um, mistress, _she thought, _I wouldn't look down if I were you. _I looked down. The stairs were nowhere in sight.

_Fenga, you do know it's not possible to not look down after someone says that? _I thought exasperatedly. Already my wings felt about ten times heavier, my leg trailing along as deadweight as well. Fenga darted under my arm, but I shoved her away. "You've got to go and tell everyone else that Syerdtsye and the other you are fakes. You've got a better chance at getting out of here than I do."

_No mistress, _Fenga thought. _I'm not leaving you. _I took one look at her eyes and knew what I had to say.

"Fenga, I order you to leave me," I insisted. "Lumi and the others have to know where I am! You can swim better, you'll be able to run reasonably well, and I'm betting Lumi or Dark or Towa can heal your wing. Leave."

She gave me one last, sad look, and then thought: _I'll come back for you. _I watched her begin to paddle away, faster than she had been, and then I finally let go.

"I'm coming mom, dad," I said as I floated down. "Krad…" my head went under, and I closed my eyes. I didn't bother trying to come back up to the surface for another breath of air. I was done. "Fenga," my words were nothing but bubbles now. "Fenga, live on. Avenge my death." Then my last bit of oxygen was gone, and for the second time that night, I submitted to death.

_Gray, no._

Candra's POV

We had all finally decided to try and go to the museum where the Black Wings was held, at Dark's insistence. He said he might be able to contact Krad from there, if Krad didn't feel like killing him. Gray was relatively quiet throughout the whole discussion, sitting and stroking Fenga's head, but I really couldn't blame her. She agreed when we asked if the location was alright with her, but her eyes were flat and she seemed to be in a different world.

"C'mon Gray," Dark said, "Cheer up! With any luck, we'll be able to unseal Krad in a few hours." Gray shook her head, scratching Fenga's ears and staring at the floor.

"It'll take too much magic," she said, "I used most of mine when I healed myself and Fenga after my battle with Syerdtsye." Okay, she must have been depressed. That was the first time she hadn't snapped an answer at Dark like he was an idiot. Not that I minded, but it was different.

"Well, we'd better get going," Emiko said. I had sensed Honoo no Namida back off, to about a mile and a half away, and stop. I didn't know why, but I told Dark and Gray and they had decided to at least discuss where we'd go. But Emiko was right. We needed to leave.

"Yeah," I said, "You're right. Let's go." As much as I would have liked to fly, Dark (of all people) had been the one who had decided it would be too noticeable. And we couldn't risk being noticed, because Emiko, Daisuke, and Satoshi couldn't fly. (Well, the latter two _could, _but it has already been determined that it causes them pain.) We'd take as many back alleys as we could before we had to go across the bridge that would take us to the museum.

"Hey," Towa said, "I don't want to say anything that could spoil our meeting… but does anyone else smell something… burning?" I sniffed gently. She was right. I checked out where Namida-san was…

"We need to go," Gray said, "Now." There was something in her eyes, something that didn't seem right. Gray wasn't afraid of fire… she was fascinated by it. She would have popped her head into the kitchen to look at the flames quickly before she left. But now she looked terrified, tense. Fenga paced around her ankles, hackles raised, teeth bared, agitated. Ryoushi walked up to me and poked me with his nose. He seemed to be trying to tell me something… but I couldn't understand him like I could understand Mura, Wiz, or Fenga.

"Yeah," I replied, giving Ryoushi a scratch behind the ears, "We do. C'mon." I felt oddly calm.

I doubt I would have been if I had realized what, exactly, was going on and what Ryoushi wanted to tell me.

Krad's POV

Chains. They were all around me, stopping me from escaping. They no longer sapped my strength, but now… Now Gray was _dying _and I could do nothing to help her. "Gray, you have to _live!" _I hissed. "If you die now, we're all doomed. I don't know where you go after you die, but I'm not going to be there…" I sighed. So far pleading, threatening, and shocking had done nothing to get her to move. I'd tried everything… or rather, almost everything. But I wasn't even going to bother with my final option. She'd never forgive me. Instead, I did something I was almost positive I would regret later. I contacted Dark. _Hey, thief._

_Blondie, _he replied with equal venom. I hissed. _Hey, we're trying to come free you, 'kay? Gray's with us too, so no worries. _Before I could even register what he had said, he cut me off and blocked me. Why the hell would he block me? Something was very wrong.

"Gray!" I yelled. I felt her mind stir, but she was too close to the bottom of the fountain now… "Gray, they say you're with them!"

_Syerdtsye… _she replied faintly. I could see her in my mind's eye, her hair swirling in wisps around her face, her eyes shut gently as if asleep… then they snapped open. And I realized she could see me too. _Oh Krad… wha- what am I-?" _

"Go back Gray," I said. "Prove Dark wrong." She shook her head, the slightest trace of panic entering her silver eyes.

_I can't, _she mouthed. _My leg's broke… and my wing. _She sighed, and a flurry of bubbles flew from her mouth. _Why don't I give up? Why won't I die? _I wanted to shake her, I wanted to heal her wing and leg and tell her to go, to save herself, but I couldn't.

"Just try," I said, already weakening. "Just try Gray." I reached out to brush her cheek, but only touched air, and I snapped back to my black reality, the empty, black reality that was the Black Wings. "Dammit Gray, try!" I yelled. "Do you think I died for nothing? Do you think that I died just to see what it was like?" I felt her jump, and struggle around under the water.

_Fenga, _she cried faintly, _Fenga, help me… _

I felt her familiar stop where she was, then go back, and I let myself relax. She'd be fine… just fine. Fenga would save her. Fenga would save her. There was only three feet to go until the water reached the top…

And all around me were chains. Chains and – were those candles?

"Yes Krad," said a familiar and comforting voice. "How else do you expect us to see?" I struggled to sit up, completely shocked by that voice.

"Ryuu-sama?" My old tamer's face appeared in the candlelight that he brought up to his face. His and: "Raiden-sama?" Ryuu-sama smiled at me, Raiden scowled. They were both teenagers, though Ryuu's hair was white; contrasting with the blackness of our surroundings, while Raiden's black hair blended into them. They both had the same glittering blue eyes.

"Yes," Ryuu-sama said, "I think it is time that you start trying to get out of here. I sense… while, Raiden, why don't you explain?" Raiden scowled again, but nodded.

"Something bad's going to happen soon," he said, "Gray-san has something to do with it… and that other girl… the Black Wing's maiden, Candra-san. Syerdtsye still wishes for her death, you know. Gray is close to death, but she holds on to life. But you must free yourself. If you do not, you will have to live the consequences of living in the blackest of worlds forever." I had never heard Raiden sound so serious, even when he was attempting to get rid of me.

"I'll be trapped here?" I asked.

"In the blackest of worlds, Krad," Raiden said again. "And now we will leave. Free yourself, or face the consequences."

…

AN: Okay. I wanted to bring Raiden back into the story, so this is how I did so. I would really appreciate reviews, and what do you think Raiden meant by "The blackest of worlds?" Please, tell me!


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own. Yeah _right! _If I owned DN Angel, it would be aired on every channel on earth, twice a week, and Krad would be the protagonist. In other words, it wouldn't be known as DN Angel anymore.

AN: Well, we're getting close to the end here… well, the end of the first part anyway. I hope you enjoy, and this chapter might be short, because I'm trying not to cram too much into one chapter. I hope you don't mind. And I was listening to '24' by Jem pretty much the whole time I was typing this, so lots of suspense will be in this chapter!

…

Gray's POV

_Fenga! _I cried weakly, _Fenga, please hurry! _I didn't know what I had been thinking; I didn't _want _to know what I had been thinking, I just wanted to breathe. I could feel her getting closer, but I didn't know if she'd make it… I closed my eyes: suddenly the salty water stung them mercilessly.

_I'm coming, I'm trying! _Fenga said, _Just hold on mistress. Hold on… Gray. _I didn't know why, but when she called me Gray, every fiber of my being wanted to explode with happiness. I started struggling upward with my arms and good leg, trying my absolute best to reach her, to help her reach me… My lungs burned from lack of oxygen. I opened my eyes again, but all I could see was the blackness of the water below me, and just barely, the bubbles that formed from my frantic kicking and thrashing splitting the hydrogen and oxygen molecules apart. Then her nose touched my hand.

I almost screamed. Fenga's touch was so unexpected; I couldn't fully understand how she had reached me in such a short time. _Fenga… oh, thank you. _It was then that I lost consciousness. And it was then that I had my first _real _vision. My first living nightmare, in full color, full sound, and with all of the pain of real life.

Lumi's POV

We ran along a back alley, Satoshi's house burning bright behind us. I think Satoshi might have been crying a little, but it was hard to tell in the dark. Speaking of dark… Dark was the one who was leading us. With his black wings, he could fly up and tell us where to turn, where to go next, without being spotted. We'd been able to avoid several… darker; I suppose I'll say for now, alleys because of him. Of course, none of them were very bright, but Mura had told me that I would be able to conjure a ball of light if I concentrated. So I had. It was like a small sun, a beautiful bright white globe of cool light. I had been trying to steadily decrease the light to the point of being able to look at it, but so far, I hadn't done much.

With a rustle and snap of his wings, Dark landed beside me. "We're fine for a while, but remind me that I shouldn't fly near any houses with girls with binoculars in the window." I rolled my eyes.

"If you weren't such a celebrity, you wouldn't have to worry about that!" I said. Dark smirked, and Mura twitched her nose at me, laughter sparkling in her violet eyes.

"I think my looks might have something to do with it too," he said. I looked over at him, and he stared right back at me. Satoshi and Daisuke busted out laughing. I mean, sure, Dark was _incredibly_ handsome, but did he have to be so _vain? _I glanced away and continued walking while Dark went back to torment "'Creepy Boy' and Daisuke". (His words, not mine.)

I sighed. _Mura, is Wiz like this too?_

_Worse. _I looked at her in amazement. _You don't know what those 'kyuu's of his mean, do you? He's a total flirt. _I smiled quietly, and continued walking forward.

"Hey," I said, "Gray, what are your visions like?" My question had come out of the blue, but I was glad I had asked. Because Gray froze.

Syerdtsye's POV

What were Gray's visions like? Damn that girl, she was too perceptive! She was on to me, I was certain. "I don't want to talk about them," I said quietly.

"Why not?" Dark asked from behind me. "They might be able to help us!" Chishio (as Fenga, you fool) sneezed next to me.

"Because," I said, "They… they are… they are horrible. I don't always understand them… and when I do…" I bowed my head, doing my best to look freaked out or scared, or something. I shook my head. "Don't ask me to relive them." Candra (I refuse to call her by her _ridiculous _nickname) stopped as well. Her familiar was perched comfortably on her shoulder and wing joint, and didn't move as the girl turned around.

"Gray, what have you seen?" There was a sense of urgency in her voice, one of panic. Inside, I smiled broadly. This stupid girl thought I was going to die!

"Don't talk to me about it," I said again. "Please… please don't." Her familiar hopped off of her shoulder, and down to where "Fenga" stood. I hadn't thought this through well enough. Chishio would only obey commands that were given to his name, and I couldn't really do that without giving the two of us away… The sky was tinged pink and gray with dawn now. No one had notice it creep up, but now…

"We should keep moving," Dark said. "I'm not going to be able to fly anymore…" Chishio snapped at Candra's familiar, and it scampered back to her.

"Mura," she said, "What's wrong?" Then she looked at me. "I see. So Syerdtsye… _where's Gray?" _I laughed, finally able to expose my true form, keeping Gray's wings in case I needed a quick escape.

"_Gray _is dead. Her title is a bit of nonsensical rubbish, and I have killed her not once, but twice now. And that wolf of hers. Oh, yes…" I smiled. "And I believe that _you _are next. What a shame I used all of my arrows on her…" I didn't get any further, unfortunately. Because that brat and her rabbit were already gone. "Chishio," I said, "Find her. And kill her."

Lumi's POV

I took off into the morning air with Syerdtsye's words ringing in my ears. _Gray is dead. Her title is a bit of nonsensical rubbish… that wolf of hers too. _

"You can't be dead Gray," I said, "I've known you for too long." Mura perched precariously on my shoulder, whispering words in a language I'd never heard. Her language, I guessed. I wasn't supposed to know it. "Where are you Gray?" I said, "I can't find you!" I kept reaching out with my mind, praying that I'd find her, even a trace of her, but nothing came to me. And then the morning sky lit up silver. "Gray!" I didn't know what was going on, but that had to be her.

_It's coming from the fountain! _Mura said to me. _Hurry, I can hear Fenga! _I felt every beat of my wings cut the morning air, and prayed that I wouldn't be seen. Of course, my wings were beating loudly enough to be heard a mile away, according to Dark, so I guess I wasn't really exercising any caution. But I got to the fountain in only a few minutes, which was the good thing. The whole area around it was sodden with saltwater, and the fountain itself was in millions of pieces.

I saw Fenga first. She was standing, though only on three feet, and gently nuzzling Gray's face. Gray's eyes were closed, and from what I could tell, she wasn't breathing. "Gray!" I said, rushing over to her, "Oh God, Gray, no…" She was soaked to the bone, and her jeans were ripped from the knee down. A tiny silver spark flickered over one leg, and then went out. "Dammit Gray!" I yelled, pounding on her chest with my fist, panic rising like the tide in my own. I could feel tears already begin to flood my eyes when Fenga spoke to me.

_Give her a few minutes, _she said, and her thoughts were hoarse. _She's in shock. She'll be okay, but… _I took a closer look at Fenga's paw, the one she didn't allow to touch the ground. It looked like one of her wings was broken. Without speaking, I cupped the paw in both of my hands and willed it to heal. Fenga winced and growled, but then pulled her foot away and tested it on the ground. _Good as new! _She exclaimed with a bark.

"Anytime Fenga," I said, ruffling the fur between her ears, "Anytime." We sat there, Mura perching now on Fenga's head, waiting for Gray to wake up. "Should I fix her wing?" I asked, only then noticing that it and her leg were very obviously broken. The wolf nodded her head.

Once again, I cupped my hands, and deep blue sparks, shot through with silver, gathered within them, forming a pool of midnight blue with diamond dust in my palms. Then I slowly opened my hands and let the magic drain from them onto her wing. It snapped out, its full six foot length snapping and popping into place. Then I did the same for her leg.

"I guess that's all we can do for now," I said, "I guess we're just going to have to wait for her to wake up now." We sat there in silence as the sun finally turned the sky blue, a wolf, a rabbit, and a girl with two-tone wings, sitting in pools of saltwater that glinted in the new light, bits and pieces of fountain around us.

Day was breaking. The last day of peace.

Krad's POV

I sat against I wall I had created, pondering Raiden's words. What could he have meant by the blackest of worlds? I had no idea. How could any place be blacker than where I was now? Yet he had contradicted that guess. I missed the sky. I was still in chains, so I couldn't even fly around this empty black world. I wanted out.

Never before had I been bothered by being alone here, but now… now there was something wrong. There was a sense of panic and urgency in the air, almost like… like the feeling in the air before a storm, I think. The sense of something wrong. You know what, don't ask. You wouldn't know, you wouldn't even begin to understand. But you could almost smell it. And all the time, I felt it… worse than the chains dragging at my wings.

_Ryoushi, _I called. _Are you out there?_

_Master! _He barked. _Oh, master! I've been so worried… I knew you were still alive, but… Gray's been through so much… but you know this, of course. _

_Yes, _I replied, _I do. But I need you to talk to her soon. I need to know something…_

_Of course master._

…

AN: *Facepalm x30* I'm so sorry. I really am. It's so short! But I do have a new poll up on my profile: which story do you want to see me begin to update along with The Eternal Maiden II: Calling all Angels? (Finally named it, tell me what you think!) There are three options: The Wolf and the Angels (DN Angel), Automail Eyes (Fullmetal Alchemist), or Marksmaid (Death Note) I have the first chapters for all of these up, so please, go check them out and leave a review there, and here too!


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. After almost 30 chapters, you would think I wouldn't have to say this anymore… But I guess I do. **HEY! HEY, GUESS WHAT? I DO NOT OWN DN ANGEL! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! AND NO, I AM NOT ON ANY TYPE OF MEDICATION! **(Sorry about that. I will refrain from ranting in the future.)

AN: Okay, this is it. This is going to be the last chapter of The Eternal Maiden. Yes, there are going to be loose ends. That is why there is going to be a sequel. I love you all, my readers and reviewers. You are amazing. You gave me courage to use some of the plot twists I never thought I would use.

…

Lumi's POV

Gray began to stir a few minutes later, her clothes and wings steaming in the morning warmth. Fenga walked over to her and gently nuzzled her cheek as she opened her eyes, but my poor friend flipped over and vomited water as soon as she felt Fenga's nose on her face. "Gray?" I asked, "Gray, are you okay?" She shivered, crouching on her hands and knees, her head bowed. Her eyes were still silver and the pupils vertical, and her hair was still black and short, but she seemed… different, somehow. I couldn't sense her feelings, though her eyes betrayed them anyway. She was terrified.

"H-how… how can I be… okay?" She whispered, "I-it was… it was…" she coughed up more water before continuing. "It was horrible. It was so cold… so dark… pain… and then there was- it was… I can't…" she trailed off, looking lost. "I am a prophetess Lumi. It's a curse… It's a curse!" She practically screamed the last bit, her voice hoarse and cracked. Fenga walked over to her again and nuzzled her, and Gray seemed to relax slightly under her familiar's touch.

Fenga growled softly, and Gray continued, much calmer this time, though she still didn't move. "I do not… know how to explain what I saw down there… But I saw Krad, and he convinced me to continue to fight to live. I don't know how he is doing right now, but when I healed Dark… It was only a temporary fix. Nothing could split the Black Wings. We must free him."

"Well of course we do Gray," I said, concerned for her. What had happened down there? "We'll free him." She looked at me and smiled, though it looked a bit more like a grimace. "I promise."

I heard Fenga growl, more harshly this time, and glanced at her. She was staring at the sky, snarling, teeth bared and hackles raised. I glanced up too, and saw- "Fenga, what the-?" I would have said more, but then the Fenga that was in the sky hit me hard and knocked me flat on the ground. My head hit the unforgiving stone, and stars swam before my eyes. Then the other Fenga, the real one, I think, hit the one that was pinning me to the ground in the side and they both rolled away from me, a snarling ball of fur and fangs and blood. Gray still hadn't moved. Her eyes were squeezed tight, and her face was a mask of pain. But she didn't move.

"I… knew… should've… figured…" she whispered, "I'm so sorry… Fenga but…" I pulled her to her feet, not caring or even noticing the look of hatred she gave me.

"What is going on?" I asked, "What are you sorry about?" Gray bowed her head quietly, keeping her eyes locked on mine. I almost looked away. "Gray, I can't read your thoughts anymore."

"I know that," she answered. "And I know how the rest of this day will leave so many scars…" She shook her head. "But I also know that telling you, or anyone else, will change the events for the worse. Fenga will be fine. The other wolf is Chishio. I can tell you that, because you probably would have figured it out for yourself." She pulled her arm away from me and spread her wings before settling them again at her back. "Fenga," she said, "Finish him." With a snarl, one wolf leapt upon the other with blood on its teeth and clawed at the others ribcage. I turned away as ribbons of flesh turned to stone as they were separated from what must have been Chishio's body. "Stop," Gray said, and Fenga stopped. Chishio laid there, his ribs exposed to the early light that was quickly becoming brighter, and then it started to heal. The blood running down his chest scabbed over, and then slowly, his skin began to return, then his fur. Then, his fur began to harden, and turn into…

"What is that?" I asked. Chishio was obviously returning to his artwork form, but I didn't understand what exactly it was made of. It was a snarling wolf, obviously, supposed to be standing on both hind legs and snapping at something, and blood ran down its chest, but what it was made of… I couldn't begin to guess.

"It is a metal that we no longer know of," Gray whispered, "That was mixed with the dust of countless stolen rubies. Chishio Kodora is one of the Hikari's many masterpieces… one that I will be happy to give back to Satoshi. But now Lumi…" she stared off into the distance. "Now I must go. Please take that back with you… I can guarantee that it's lighter than it looks." I wanted to ask her where she'd be going, but looking at her I could tell it would be useless. If she wanted to tell me, she would have done so already. I snagged one of the artworks paws, Mura hopped onto my back, and I leapt into the air.

"Just be careful!" I yelled, "Don't do anything stupid!" Gray smiled and nodded, and then took off herself, going in the opposite direction, Fenga running by her side, her eight wings beating.

Gray's POV

It felt good to be alive. No, it didn't feel amazing; it didn't feel like everything was going to be alright. My parents were still dead, Krad was still sealed, and I still had to stop shaking, but it felt good to breathe. But I didn't know if my vision in the fountain had been real, or if it had been a product of my half-dead, panicked mind. But there was only one way to find out. I flew towards the Niwa's, knowing exactly who I should find there. I slipped my right hand into my pocket, and touched the two flash drives my mom had given to me. I hoped that they'd still work, that they'd somehow survived the water.

My legs were freezing, but the burns on them had healed, thanks to my magic. Maybe, once I'd landed, I could repair the fabric. I stretched my wings out as far as I could and glided through the morning air like an eagle. I loved flying. I felt free in the air… like nothing and no one could touch me, or hurt me, or even get close to me… But then I reached the Niwa's house and was forced to land. I sighed as my feet hit the roof and I had to get used to walking on my feet, then glided down to the ground and walked inside. I was glad to see that there weren't any traps, so I kicked off my shoes and decided to go downstairs first. But before I did that…

"Hey Fenga," I muttered, "C'mere." She trotted up to me, and I knelt down and scratched her ears, and she stared at me. I didn't need to say anything. It was written in my eyes.

_But he was destroyed, _she protested.

"He's the only one who can help me," I replied. "Give me just a minute." I called up a few sparks of magic, and actually managed to repair my jeans to the point where they reached all the way down my legs, and not just to my knees, which was good, because I really hated shorts. Then I walked over to the stairs, wondering just what frame of mind Argentine would be in, if he was there.

…

As I stepped down into the cold air of the basement, a strange chill wrapped itself around me. The cold tendrils of death, and I knew right then that my worst vision was going to begin to come true. Just the ice cold, death filled corridor, the flickering torches of light… "Fenga," I said quietly, "Go back upstairs. I'll see you in a minute." Without protest, she slunk off, and I continued forward. Anxiety gripped me, trying to pull me back, but I kept walking until I came to certain point. I didn't know where it was, so don't ask, but it was so cold there… so cold I could barely breathe. I placed my hands on the wall and closed my eyes, leaning into the stone. It gave way and I stepped through the stone into Argentine's corridor.

He stood several feet away, his back to me, walking away from me. He seemed to be much more fragile than he had been before, but he seemed like he was getting stronger even as I stared at him. "Argentine," I said, "It's me, Gray." He turned to face me.

"Oh," he said, "Hello. Have I been dead?" He seemed to be completely lost, and I honestly felt sorry for him. I nodded.

"Yeah, Syerdtsye killed you. Do you remember me?" He nodded, so I continued, "I need your help. I can get you out of here…" It seemed like a meager offer at best, but he nodded. "Follow me." I shoved back through the bricks, eager to get back above ground. They gave, and Argentine followed me out of the corridor. I couldn't shake that feeling of death away from me, and I was so strong I started running. I ran like I never had before, Argentine stumbling along behind me. But I didn't notice, and I don't think I would have cared if I had noticed. I had to find a computer.

I tore up the stairs three at a time, then four with the help of my wings. I had to find a computer; I had to see my parents now, now before I went insane form the pain and grief of losing them. I glanced about wildly, and then took a left. Who knows? Maybe it was fate, but that left led me up to the second floor, and to Daisuke's room. And there was a computer there. I fumbled the flash drive my mom had told me held photos out of my pocket, and jammed it into the USB port. It took one, two, three, four, five agonizing seconds for the options menu to pop up, and then I clicked 'Open folder to view files'. Instantly, a large window opened, full of pictures. I didn't recognize many of them, and didn't know if there was any explanation for them, so I clicked on the first photo. It was of my mom when she was really little, before she even had her wings, and it looked like it had been clipped from a newspaper article. There was a caption on it that read: _Me as a child. I love you Gray, be strong. _

I stared at the caption in shock. This meant- "It's true then?" I asked myself, "It's true that Krad can come back?" This was exactly what I had envisioned in the fountain, or at least, a part of what I'd Seen. I clicked to the next picture. It was of a boy, with dark blonde hair and a silly grin.

_It's dad. I suppose we all have to start somewhere, ne? _I laughed to myself. That had always been a private joke between the two of us, after I'd told him about the word. We'd have whole conversations like that, and when Lumi caught on, she'd join us. It made me remember simpler times, when I didn't have to worry about anything. _Take__ care._

I took another moment to look at the picture, wondering why 'take' was underlined. Then I shrugged it off as a mistake, and clicked to the next picture. This one was of dad playing baseball. He was seven or eight, and seemed sure of himself. _These__ were the good old days… me and your grandfather playing baseball. _There it was again. Did the computer have a glitch? Or was it something else?

I felt a little bit better now, like my parents were standing with me. He next few pictures didn't have any captions, but I knew their stories by heart. There was my dad, with his old baseball team after he had hit the winning home run, him and his parents going hiking in Colorado, another few baseball pictures, and then him at his first dance, hanging around with his friends…

_Darn car… my __broken__ leg kept me out of cross country that year. _I laughed, but somewhere deep inside of me, something stirred. I knew the story of that picture back to front. His dad hadn't seen him when he was backing out of the driveway, and… well; the rest was history, to make a longer story short.

"Take these broken…" I muttered, "What are you trying to tell me?" I grabbed a pencil and a scrap of paper I found on Daisuke's desk, hoping he wouldn't mind, and wrote down the three words. "Okay, so what next?"

The next picture was of my mom. _This was the first day I managed to fly. Everyone thought my __wings__ were too small… I proved 'em all wrong. _Her bright silver wings were folded loosely at her back, and she was grinning like a fool. Her red hair was windswept and messy, but her eyes gleamed with triumph. I jotted down the word 'wings' on the paper as well. It also took me a minute to remember that mom and dad were in different worlds.

I was eager to flip through the rest of them, but then Argentine came up the stairs, Fenga by his side. "Ah, there you are," he said, "You're much faster now." I looked at him for a moment before I remembered The Dragon Vase.

"Well, I do my best to stay in shape," I replied with a grin, "But, I was wondering…" I trailed off, unsure of how exactly to state my cause. Then I decided to go right on ahead and say it. "I need to learn how to unseal an artwork."

"Of course," Argentine replied, "May I ask which one?" Fenga trotted over to me as I spoke, and I stroked her ears while looking just past the young artwork in the door. (Well, okay, maybe he wasn't very young, but whatever.)

"The Black Wings," I said, "I have to release Krad." A troubled look flitted across Argentines face. "What is it?"

"Gray…" he sighed, "What you ask isn't… isn't possible." I shook my head, a small smile slipping across my face despite my small attempts to stop it.

"It is," I replied, "I've Seen it. I can release him; I just have to learn how." I had Seen myself at the foot of the Black Wings, it and myself glowing with energy. I had felt the terrible, indescribable pain, but I had also felt something… stronger than that. Something good. And I knew, in my heart, that it was what I wanted. I was _sure _of it.

"It's just like any other spell," Argentine sighed, "But… there is… a catch, I might say. Since you have never unsealed an artwork… you must create your own Release." Maybe it was because of the important way he said it, or maybe it was just instinct, but I felt as though 'Release' needed a capital 'R'.

"Okay," I said, "What's the catch? Does it have to rhyme or something?" I hoped not… I didn't have my mom's poetic skill. Unfortunately…

"Actually, yes," he replied. "And it has to have meaning, and be your own words. I think that's it." I sighed. Then moaned.

Then I stood up so fast I shocked Fenga and Argentine, who was standing six feet away from me. "I need a rhyming dictionary." _Thank you mom, _I thought, _Thank you for a moment of inspiration. _"And to be alone." Fenga and Argentine both looked at me funny, but they left all the same. I glanced over Daisuke's bookshelves, but I didn't find what I wanted. "Thank you God for the beautiful thing I call the internet," I muttered. Then I decided I'd better write what I had in my head now, before I forgot.

_Calling all angels_

_Calling all rebels_

_The black winged-seraph _

_And the white-winged devil_

_I call upon magic, _

_And call upon death…_

I sat for a moment and puzzled the next line. _Death… _I thought, _What rhymes with death? _Then I thought of something.

_The mystical beauty _

_Of a single, last breath _

I didn't know where that had come from, but I seemed to remember something that seemed like ages ago… Oh yes, that was it. My mom had always told me, even as a little girl, how the dead never really breathed their last breaths. They saved them, for when someone they loved truly needed them, so that they could whisper help and encouragement to them from 'the other side', as I've always called it.

And do you know what? I've brought you up to current time now. My story, that I can tell you, is done; but not really. I am finishing my Release now. Here is what I think the rest of it should be:

_I call for you angel_

_I call as the rebel_

_You're the white-winged seraph_

_I'm your gray-winged angel._

**Fenga's POV**

Yes, I know that wolves cannot type. I am having Lumi write this, as I speak to her, after- after the accident. I do not know what happened… only that it all went wrong. My mistress is no more. I feel a hole where she used to be, the same hole that Ryoushi has just had filled, though I know not where he might be. He and Krad have run; looking for a way to bring her back. But I must tell you about how this came to pass. Yet… yet I cannot. Lumi… please take over.

Lumi's POV

Fenga sits beside me, completely in shock over what we have just witnessed. Dark is sitting on the roof, Wiz with him. None of us can actually believe… Gray… dead… I'm sorry. I suppose you want to know how… forgive me. It's hard to talk about.

We (Dark, Wiz Emiko, Daisuke, Satoshi, Towa, Mura, and I,) got to the museum a few minutes before Gray and Fenga did, and spent the time warming up and following Satoshi to the sculpture. I didn't know where she was, or what she was doing, though I'd find out later. All I was doing was looking upwards at the statue that the handsome kaitou to my right, wondering exactly how… why, I suppose I mean, the Hikari created the Black Wings as the skeletal sculpture it was.

"Wow," I breathed, "It's so…" I trailed off, unsure of my next words.

"What?" Dark asked, walking up behind me. "Cause I sure don't know _where _I got my looks from." I laughed.

"No, I think it's beautiful," I replied, "Beautiful and terrible, almost like… Like light and dark, fused together against their wills. It's… it's certainly the Hikari's masterpiece." I felt like I was viewing something that shouldn't have been created, some terrible beauty, like I had told Dark. The Black Wings gave me a feeling of insignificance, uselessness, and power, like if I looked at it long enough, I could gather its magic and use it for myself…

"Be careful," Dark warned, "I've seen people almost lose their minds trying to figure it out." I smiled and nodded. "I'm going to try and talk to Krad. I need to see if he got himself trapped inside." He walked over to the base of the huge statue with Wiz next to him. Ryoushi followed a step behind, head held high and tail wagging. The black-winged angel placed a hand on the base of the statue and closed his eyes, and I saw a thin strand of purple magic weave its way up its base.

Dark stiffened, then relaxed. Daisuke gasped. "He-he's gone!" I almost lunged forward, but Wiz kyuued a warning to me.

_He's fine. He had to enter The Black Wings to speak with Krad._ I relaxed, and stepped back.

"Oh." I wondered why that was. He hadn't needed to do that to talk with Krad earlier…

Dark's POV

I went into The Black Wings to speak with Krad. Yeah, I didn't need to the first time, but I felt he was trapped, and it wasn't the best idea to walk into a battlefield blindfolded. He could be ready to kill someone, so I decided to talk to him before trying to release him.

When I finally felt his presence, I realized just how weak he'd gotten. I started to appear in front of him, and saw just how terrible he really looked. Well, he looked like he always did, but his aura was sickly and weak, and his eyes had an unhealthy, glassy look to them. "Hey blondie," I said.

"Thief," he replied weakly. I knelt next to him and examined the silver chains that bound his wrists, ankles, and wings. He seemed to be fine mentally, but you could never be sure with him. (I can't believe I have the time for jokes…)

"So it's nothing serious," I said, "Just an old enchantment. I'll get ya out of here in no time. See ya in a few!" With that, I disappeared, ignoring his cry of outrage.

Lumi's POV

A few minutes later, Dark's body stiffened, and he straightened up. "Well," he said, "Good news bad news time." I smiled and nodded for him to go ahead and speak. "Good news," he said, gesturing up at the sculpture, "Krad's fine and we can get him out of there easy."

"And the bad news?" Emiko and Towa asked simultaneously. I hid a smile.

"Well," Dark said, "Take a look for yourself." He pointed up at the ceiling, which was, strangely enough, bright silver.

"Gray!" I gasped. "What's she doing?" Dark snorted.

"That's not Gray," he said, "I don't know who or what that is." With a sickening slurping noise, a piece of the ceiling fell in.

"Oh, it's Gray all right," a voice said, "But you don't know which one." I instantly tensed, expecting it to be Syerdtsye, but as soon as she came into sight, I could tell that this was Gray. "When I was looking through some photos," she said, "I found a small hidden message from my parents. _Take these broken wings/ and learn to fly._ I didn't get it at first… but they were trying to send me a very specific vision. May their souls be forever blessed." She bowed her head, and when she raised it again, her eyes were glimmering in the light.

"What was the vision?" I asked. She smiled again, and then I realized something. "Your hair!" Her hair was once again the curtain of silver that hid her wings and her face.

"Yes, I figured you'd notice. And as for my visions… they are, or at least this one is, for me alone to know of, for me alone to act upon. If you wish to stay here, I won't force you to leave, but if you don't want to stay… go." No one moved. "Fine then," she said, "I didn't think so." Her eyes held a sad look in them, sad and faraway. "In the coming years, you will be missed," she whispered, "In the coming days; I'll wish I'd stayed. In the coming hours, come laying flowers, upon my grave today." Before any of us could react to that, she took off the skull of The Black Wings. I do not know exactly what she said, but I believe that it was the Release that she typed earlier in this document. Some of her last words.

The Black Wings started glowing, first silver, and then a deep, deep gold. Then there were a few beautiful moments where the statue was transparent, just a simple outline filled with air, like glass. And then… then it became solid stone. Deep gray, almost black, and it began to crumble away, as if it were being blown by the wind. All this time, Gray was surrounded by a globe of silver that seemed to hold her in the air, because her wings were still. "Yeesh," Dark said, "You can't help but wonder when she's gonna have to give up." I couldn't help but agree with him. Even now, Gray was becoming so weak that I could feel her exhaustion; the barriers she had put up to keep me out of her mind crashing down.

_I… I will miss you Krad… _It took me several seconds to figure out that these were Gray's actual thoughts. _I swear… I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't… weren't for the good of everyone. _There was a long pause, in which I suspected Krad was answering her, and I finally put two and two together.

"No," I whispered, "No Gray, no!" My last word came as a shout, but no one heard it. Not over the savage, screaming howl that just then tore through the night and then, the ceiling.

Fenga tore through the hole Gray had made in the roof, winged paws tearing at the air. _It's… a trap! _I could tell that everyone was able to understand her, and I was afraid because of it. She practically crashed to the floor before once again taking flight, spiraling upward towards where Gray floated. _Gray… come mistress, we must go. _Why was I able to read their thoughts then, I didn't know. But I tried turning my attention to Emiko, and only got the feeling of fear. I couldn't find the thoughts of anyone else, except for Dark, and I had always been able to contact him and Krad. Don't ask why, because I have no idea.

_Fenga, leave now. Get everyone out. If she _is_ coming… _It only took me a millisecond to figure out who 'she' was. And there was no more time. I could sense her.

"Guys," Towa called, "Um… hate to be a broken record, but we've got –"

"Company!" Syerdtsye called. I mentally assigned myself to fixing the roof. "Oh, but I sound _far _too happy, do I not?" Fenga lunged away from Gray and the crumbling Black Wings towards her, and I saw only a flash and heard a snap, and Fenga fell to the ground, an arrow sticking from her left shoulder. I cried out, and Mura dashed over to her.

_She's alive, _she whispered to me, _She'll be fine. Just hurt. _I could hear the whimper in her thought, but I was forced to think a little bigger as we were all blinded by a final flash from The Black Wings. When I could see again, there was nothing there but Gray's small, limp body, and a pile of ashes. Gray was still breathing, thank God, but… Where was Krad?

"Gray!" I called, jogging over to her, "Gray, are you okay?" I felt an arrow lodge in my shoulder, but didn't even begin to register the pain until hours later. Then I sensed Dark swoop into the air behind me, and then… nothing. Gray was a complete mess. She wasn't exactly hurt, per se, but… deteriorated. "Gray, come on…" I ran a hand over her shoulder, feeling my throat begin to close up. "Just breathe…"

She squeezed her eyes shut tighter and hissed, "I- can't. It hurts so bad… Lumi… I'm not immortal… just… just tell him I'm okay, won't you? Tell him what I told you… in the coming years…" she trailed off, whimpering. "And fix The Black Wings, won't you? You're a healer, when you find the right words…" she shuddered.

"Gray," I whimpered, "Gray, you can't die… not after all this. You cheated death so many times…" she was beyond talking then. She just shifted slightly, and looked at me.

It took every ounce of my strength not to run from her. Her silver eyes were bloodshot and full of a mixture of fear and rage. _Help me up, _she thought to me, _I know you can hear me, now help me up. I'm going to kill Syerdtsye with my last breaths, if I must. Please. _I didn't know why I did it. I don't know now, so don't ask. But I helped her up. She stood there before me, shaking, holding herself up with her sword. _Lumi, when I die, because I am going to die, take my sword. _She spread her wings, and drawing on what had to be her last reserves of strength, she flew shakily into the air to meet Syerdtsye.

"Gray!" I yelled, "Gray…" Mura hopped over to me. "Oh Mura," I whispered, "I can't stay here…" I took off after her, but I knew that it was too late. Even if I could catch Gray, I'd probably only end up getting both of us killed, and as much as I am ashamed of saying this, I was afraid to die. I was afraid to die, so I let my best friend die instead.

She seemed almost as if she could beat Syerdtsye, but I'd forgotten about the artwork's arrows. As Gray lunged the last several feet that separated the two of them, there was a flash of silver and the most sickening- ah, I'm sorry. I… I can't. Gray choked and fell to the floor, an arrow though her wing. But that damned Syerdtsye couldn't leave it at that. She swooped to the floor, her true form with Gray's wings. Lightening crackled from her fingers, and she held her bow in the other hand.

"Well," she said, "If it isn't that nuisance of a prophetess who insists on _always _getting in my way! If I had had even a year without you around… But soon I will have even longer than that!" She notched an arrow to her bow, and drew it back. Gray's hand twitched, sending her sword skittering in my direction.

"Please," she whispered, "I'm unarmed… please." Syerdtsye smiled and shook her head.

And that was when I acted. I grabbed Gray's sword and snapped open my wings, and lunged at Syerdtsye as quickly as I could. But I wasn't fast enough. I stared at the blood-soaked silver metal of the sword, and then in shock at the artwork that was rapidly shrinking and twisting, and at Gray.

Gray, who lay still, eyes closed, with an arrow though her chest. Through her heart. "No…" I whispered, "Mura, is Fenga…?"

_Still here. She's fine. _I didn't know what to do. Gray was still alive; her heart was pushing blood out of her body.

"Some… pathetic showdown, huh?" she whispered, "I didn't even get a single scratch on her. Tell Krad what I said… about 'in the coming years'." I nodded, my eyes filling with tears. She closed her own eyes. "And there's something I want you to edit for me… it's in my folder… I moved it to Daisuke's computer." She took one more deep breath, exhaled, and then… then she was gone.

"Gray…" I didn't hear the two sets of wings, or realize the presence of their owners until Dark put a hand on my shoulder. I turned, just enough to see Dark out of the corner of my left eye. "She's… gone," I whispered, "I- I should've done… I'm so sorry." I knew Krad was behind me. I felt so terrible for him. I knew he must feel about as bad as I did –or worse.

"Look," Dark said, "She did us a favor." I glanced up where Dark was pointing, and saw that The Black Wings was back to normal, and smiled. Then I remembered something. Attached to the hilt of her sword…

"Krad," I said, standing up, "Here." I pulled his cross away from the sword. "She must have wanted that returned to you." I handed it to him, and he took it silently. He looked at it for a moment, then tied it back into his hair.

"Thank you," he said, "I… she knew, didn't she?" I looked down at her.

"Yeah," I said, "She knew. I think it would've been different if she hadn't released you… but she wanted it to be like this. She tried to change the future." She had asked for mercy, even though she knew that it wouldn't come. I stared once again at my hands, which were soaked in blood.

I looked up at the hole in the roof. The sun was just peeking over one edge of it, and I realized just how long I had been here. How long it had been since I had slept. I suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over me, tiredness and vulnerability. "Honoo no Namida's still out there," Krad was saying, "And all the other artworks Syerdtsye awakened. We need Gray." I didn't know what he was talking about, but Dark did.

"Krad, you're insane," he said, "Don't you remember what happened last time?" I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes. Mura hopped over to me. "You can't just change fate."

"Like you wouldn't try to bring _her _back if she had been the one to die!" Krad snapped. Dark sighed, and I could almost see his shoulders falling forward.

"Fine," he said, "But I'm not coming." Krad muttered something, and I heard him take off. With a bark that I recognized as Ryoushi's, another set of wings followed him. Dark walked back over to me. "Lumi," he said, "We need to go." He touched my arm, and I tried to snap at him, but I was too tired.

"Let me stay," I muttered, "Please."

"C'mon Lumi," this time it was Towa speaking. I had forgotten about her and the others. "We've got to go."

"Gray needs a funeral," Emiko said, "And I think we all need some rest." I whimpered, but finally forced myself to my feet.

"You're right," I said. I was going to have to force myself to be strong these next few days, weeks, years. But I could. I knew I could. And I'd have Gray to watch over me as I tried to finish what she meant to. I didn't know where Krad was, but I meant to find out. And then I'd help in whatever way I could to bring back Gray.

And this time, I wouldn't think twice about dying.

…

AN: Well… this is it. I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, every last one of you. You know who you are. And I would also like to thank one certain person, the person who actually introduced me to DN Angel. Thank you daevaofthenight. Even though I don't know you, I wouldn't have found this amazing anime without you, and this story wouldn't be here. I would also like to say one more thing. I lied about this being the last chapter, so you guys do have the epilogue to look forward to.

Anyway, thank you again, all of my reviewers. You're all amazing.


	30. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Disclaimer: I don't own DN Angel. This is the last chapter of this story, so I think you would know this by now.

AN: I know I said it last chapter, but thank you all so much for all of your reviews and the support that you have shown me throughout this story. It means so much to me, you have no idea. I didn't really think anyone would ever read this, and that I'd only be writing for a few people. Well, you proved me wrong. You have my eternal thanks. (Five days later, as I'm editing this: oh, haha, _eternal… _bad pun there…)

**...**

Dark's POV

Yeah right. Like I would be sleeping after what just happened. Look, I don't know why I'm sitting here, typing this, but it must be important, what I just saw.

You dream often, I think, but I don't. Neither does Krad. And since I can't talk to him (he's blocking me) I might as well just put it down here, where I'll be able to explain it better in the morning, or another generation, or when the wounds aren't so fresh.

It was a blow, losing Gray. It crushed Lumi, and me. She had been like a sister to me, a sort of gracious enemy who was kin. Does that even make sense? I don't care; it's one in the morning. Give me a break. Now Gray was laying six feet underground, beneath a chunk of stone with her name, birth and death dates, and her last prose on it. Those words haunted me.

_In the coming years you will be missed, in the coming days I'll wish I'd stayed, in the coming hours, come laying flowers, upon my grave today. _What had she meant? I didn't understand. As I read back over her documentation of our short adventures between our worlds, I managed to pick out how she had viewed things, how she had actually managed to find my thoughts of certain things, and I couldn't help but wonder how. But I was impressed. How had she done it?

_Why am I sitting here…? _I felt a yawn catch in my throat, and tried to once again recall the dream that had woke me up in the first place. It had been very cold, but there had been no snow, only an endless expanse of ice. Crystal clear, beautiful ice. And I didn't have my wings. Instead, I had to walk across it, sliding and shivering… that cold, it had been so real.

Gray had been sitting on the edge of a cliff, also without wings, also shivering with the cold. She said nothing as I approached her, only continued looking forward. "He didn't come," she said after a few minutes. "I could have talked to him one last time, seen him again. Why didn't he come? I have to tell him what… what happened…" she shook as a gust of wind traveled across the clear ice. "You are there, aren't you Dark? I can't see you, you know."

She turned her head towards me, and I yelled. Her eyes were nothing more than empty sockets. That had been when I'd woken up. And thank the Hikari I did, because I knew that Gray's eyes –or rather, lack of –would haunt me for a long, long time.

Anyway, I'm tired. Bye.

Lumi's POV

As I sit here, I stare at the small, heart shaped, cracked mirror that had been Syerdtsye no Zyerkayao's original vessel, and recall my own dream. Gray had had eyes in this one, unlike in the dream Dark had. It has been several hours since that time; it's maybe three 'o' clock now. My eyes shot open, wide open, after my own dream. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I kept thinking about Gray's funeral… but that's not what I'm telling you about now. Now is a different story.

I have yet to look at the document Gray typed for me. I plan to wait until later to do that. But she sent me a dream too. More peaceful than the one Dark told you about.

In my dream, Gray and I were flying across a meadow. There was a lake in the middle of it, a beautiful, crystal clear lake with small golden fish darting through it and dragonflies skimming the surface. I could see all the way to the bottom of it, to the tiny pebbles that lined the floor of the lake. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. "Where are we?" I asked Gray, glancing at her. She looked like she always had, her punk dress and kind eyes, but her hair was shoulder length and red once again.

"This is my heaven," she replied. "For now." I stared down in shock at the beautiful land, her heaven. She pulled into a steep dive, and I followed. "I had a dream about this once," she said, "Maybe it's constructed from my imagination." She cupped her hands into the lake and drank. "It's good, if you want some," she offered. So I drank too.

"Gray," I said, "I'm really sorry about what I did. I could have saved you, but…"

"Oh Lumi," she replied, "I don't blame you for anything. After all, I'm happy here. Fenga is well?" I nodded. "She is a part of me. If she's happy, then I am. Please though, do not blame yourself for my death. I don't think I could have changed fate if I was the strongest magical being in the universe. You were meant to hang back."

"So you were going to die anyway?" I asked. We were sitting by the shore, like we used to do when we went to one of the Great Lakes. I leaned back on my hands, and Gray glanced at me. Her eyes were silver, but her pupils were normal.

Gray nodded. "Yes. But you finished my work for me. You killed Syerdtsye, who could only be killed with a sword of one of her victims. So live with a light heart, and take from me these two things: your title, my brave friend, shall be the Shining Violet, you who shone in battle, however small it was.

"And take this," she said, unclasping her necklace. "Take it and remember." At first I didn't understand how she'd taken it off, because it was still around her neck, but then I realized that it had tattooed itself on her neck, an exact copy of the necklace that had caused so much trouble. She held the real thing in her hand. And the first thing I noticed was that her feather, on both the necklace and the tattoo (for lack of a better name) was no longer at the point, between Dark's and Krad's. Now, it rested between Krad's and Satoshi's, the white and the blue. "There is no Eternal Maiden. Not anymore. That was my mom, but she lost her title when she came to our world. I did not inherit it. We- well, you, are eternal, but the Eternal Maiden is no more." I took the necklace and clasped it around my neck.

"Is this a dream?" I asked. I couldn't help myself. If it was, that means that Gray could be anywhere, that I really could be responsible for her death…

"No," she replied, "And yes. You will understand later. Now, wake, Shining Violet."

And then I woke up. My hands flew to my neck, and I gasped.

Around my throat lay Gray's necklace.

No POV

There was only black. Black all around him, impenetrable, absolute. His wings, his clothes, his hair… his reflection in the black stream running down the black cliff that he was curled up on. He did not sleep, but he did dream. He did have a dream. It was only her voice, but she spoke.

_ I'll miss the winter… _she whispered to him. _I've been told, that I'll die before I'm old… Look for me in the white forest… locked up with a spinning wheel… twenty-four hours… take these broken wings and learn to fly… deep in the meadow, under the willow… I cannot speak, I've lost my voice… I remember your name… _

Krad's eyes flew open. "Gray," he whispered, "Gray… no, come back. There was light…"

_When darkness turns to light, _Gray's voice whispered, _It ends tonight… Holding my last breath, safe inside myself, for all my thoughts of you, sweet raptured light, it ends here tonight…_

"Gray," Krad whispered, "No. It's not over…" Ryoushi, awakened by his master's voice, whimpered.

_Master, _he said gently. _Is it her? _Krad nodded.

"There is something we must do before… before we continue on our quest, Ryoushi," he said quietly. "Come." He spread his wings wide and jumped, his golden winged familiar following him.

…

With a quiet swish of feathers, Krad landed in front of the freshly turned earth. Gray lay beneath his feet, beneath the soil. She was in a better place, but… she said she was in a white forest. Everything was black, but she was in a white forest. She had been trying to tell him something, but she couldn't speak her own words. What on earth had she been saying? It had sounded like poetry –"Gray," he whispered, "You sang for me." He knelt on her grave, murmuring something in another language.

A small, silver rose sprouted from the ground, in full, eternal bloom. It glittered in the moonlight, though Krad was unable to see its glow. "I'll bring you back Gray," Krad whispered, "I'll bring you back and let you see this with your own eyes." A small tear fell from his eye, and he blinked in surprise. He had never cried before. "I must go now," he said to the grave, "I miss you." With that, Krad turned and flew off. There was no sign that he had been there.

No sign but the silver rose and a single, white feather, basking in silver light, turning it a dark gray.

…

AN: The final piece of The Eternal Maiden. Once again, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, all of my followers. Thank you all. Please, tell me what you think about the epilogue; it would mean the world and a part of the moon to me. I don't know what I'd have done without you all.

Oh, and one more thing: If you haven't already, could you check out my poll? It's for the story that I should continue alongside TEM II. Thanks!


End file.
